Cameron's Revenge
by ReaganCaseyFan
Summary: Set 8 years after the end of The Future Cameron, the Connor Family and allies face yet another series of challenges from Skynet and other threats to the future they are building for TechCom. Always unashamed of her machine nature, Cameron has grown weary of the threat to her John and her family. It has become personal for the beautiful, one-of-a-kind Terminator. Jameron as well.
1. Chapter 1 - Prologue

**Chapter 1 - Prologue**

 **Disclaimer:** Don't own TSCC

 **The Past…**

Despite their best efforts, the Connor family failed to prevent Judgment Day. John and Cameron graduated from high school (See **_Cameron Grows Up_** ) and determined to control their lives and destiny as much as possible, set out to become independent. Cameron begins a successful career as a ballerina and John attends the local community college. Despite Sarah and Derek's initial objections, the unusual couple manages to marry (See **_Cameron and John's Wedding_ – a stand alone story**).

Ellison left the FBI to head up security for Catherine Weaver (a T-1000 opposed to Skynet), the CEO of Zeira Corp and to serve as the mentor for her Terminator son, John Henry. Ellison serves as a moral and religious guide for John Henry, a genius Terminator who possesses a highly developed moral conscience thanks to Ellison, and Weaver's human daughter, Savannah (older than in the television series). The deeply religious Ellison even manages to have a somewhat positive influence on the Machiavellian Weaver.

Judgment Day has come and the war with Skynet and the Machines has begun. TechCom wages war against Skynet in the former state of California. Cameron and John adopt a young girl Cameron names Hailey, much to the delight of Sarah. John is the commander of TechCom. Cameron leads a unit of Terminators who have developed free will and despise Skynet. Known as the Silver Brigade, under Cameron's leadership, this unit time and again saves TechCom from annihilation.

Captain (formerly Sgt.) Wilhelm, an advanced and modified T-800, serves as Cameron's second in command until receiving his own command, TechCom's first airborne unit. Savannah, like so many others after Judgment Day, was swept up in the events of the early days of the war and joined TechCom.

Through an unusual set of circumstances, Catherine Weaver, Ellison, John Henry and Savannah are all reunited after seeking out TechCom. Catherine manages to repair her damaged relationships with her two children. Ellison is happy to be reunited with the "fighting priest", Father Hidalgo, who prior to Judgment Day married Cameron and John.

Rounding out the friends and family of the Connor/Reese clan are Sgt. Brighton, a one-armed Marine and poker buddy of Derek, John, Capt. Wilhelm, the Old Man and The Assassin. The Assassin is a T-600 with an intense hatred of Skynet and all machines controlled by Skynet. Known to have over a thousand confirmed Terminator kills to his credit.

Mary and Grace, Cameron's high school classmates who are also ballerinas (See **_Cameron Grows Up_** ) are reunited with their close friend. These former Skynet slave laborers escape from a labor camp and with a group of refugees seek sanctuary at TechCom. The unsuspecting duo discover Cameron's true nature, a secret Cameron had kept from her two close girlfriends.

Weaver, despite her manipulative, scheming nature, is forced to turn over a new leaf in order to maintain her relationship with her children, particularly Savannah. Despite her cold-hearted nature, the T-1000 finds herself attracted to T-800 Captain Wilhelm, whose template is the same as John Connor's first Terminator protector, Uncle Bob. Like Uncle Bob, Wilhelm enjoys a good Cuban when he can get them and speaks with an Austrian accent. Despite Wilhelm's best efforts, Catherine reels him in and the pair becomes the first known pair of Terminators to marry.

Sarah is still Sarah, angry and on edge, broken and fearful yet still tough as nails and not to be trifled with. After a long and tempestuous courtship started while Cameron and John were in high school (See **_Cameron Grows Up_** ), Sarah finally consents to become Derek's wife. Sarah, having been cured of her cancer while on a diplomatic mission to Mexico, not only marries Derek, but adopts a T-1000 child who has never been under Skynet's control.

Named Ruth, the T-1000 becomes close friends with her adopted human cousin, Hailey Connor. The pair of mischievous girls are always under the watchful eye of their T-600 protector, The Old Man. A small, unusual and fearless dog, an Italian Greyhound named Little Al, is found by Cameron in the Wastelands and becomes the two girls companion and eventual watchful protector who, along with the Old Man, does his best to keep the girls out of trouble.

Derek is still a hater of machines, but has come to grasp with the fact not all machines are bad. He is severely wounded in the Battle of Airbase S-14 and loses his left arm and leg. Out of necessity, he must become part cyborg himself. In the process he gains a cybernetic left eye, microcomputer implant, and a better understanding of his adopted T-1000 daughter, Ruth.

Bound together by family ties, Cameron and Derek have formed an unusual friendship yet still constantly bicker, often going out of their way to annoy the other when possible.

Doctor Johnson, a former machine hater, now presides over a unique medical system that treats both human and Terminator patients. His best orderly is a T-600 no longer capable of combat but has an intense hatred of bacteria and viruses and a love affair with bleach and cleaning, producing a medical complex nearly free of infectious contagions.

Cameron is the glue that ties the group together and somehow TechCom grows stronger despite the horrors of a post-Judgment Day world.

One more thing. Cameron still, after all these years, is not over the bitch whore Riley. Big chested blondes are not allowed near her John!

Reviews are always appreciated. If you liked this story, you might want to consider my other TSCC stories:

 ** _Cameron Grows Up_**

 ** _The Future Cameron_**

 ** _Cameron and John's Wedding_**

 ** _Who's the Boss?_**

 ** _The Storm Before the Calm_**


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

 **Disclaimer:** Don't own TSCC

"JOHN!"

Startled from his late morning sleepy daze by his wife's panicked scream, John rushed to their small bathroom to find Cameron standing in her underwear, holding a single strand of her hair out to the side of her head.

"What is the matter with you?" John complained. "You just about gave me a heart attack!"

"John! Something is wrong with me!"

Noticing the panic in the often expressionless face of his wife, John wisely changed his tone of voice and demeanor.

"Okay, just relax. It can't possibly be that bad. What is wrong?"

"John, I have a grey hair!"

"That's it?" he laughed. "Either pluck it or go see Mom about using the bottle to hide it."

"John, this is not funny. Terminator's do not get grey hair!"

"How would you know? Terminators are just now starting to get old enough to have grey hair. Besides, Hailey is a teenager. I think when I hit my teenage years, that was about the time Mom had to start coloring her hair."

Cameron spun around from the mirror and frowned at John, still holding the single strand of hair.

"This is NOT funny! This is serious, JOHN!"

"Don't freak out, Cameron," John said, hands extended with palms facing Cameron in an effort to calm his now angry wife. "You didn't think it was a big deal when I started getting a few grey hairs."

"That is different. Your grey compliments your scars, makes you more handsome, sexier even."

"Sexier. I like that," John purred, moving close enough to put his arms around his wife's slender waist. "Don't worry, my Sexbot is more sexy and appealing now than when I met her all those years ago."

"She is? Do you really think so?"

John kissed his wife and let his roaming hands answer Cameron's question.

 **The Wastelands…**

Major Wilhelm scanned the horizon using infrared.

"There was movement."

"Are you sure, sir?" the junior officer asked.

"Yes. I have replayed my file."

Motioning for the 2nd Lt. to follow him, the pair returned to the black HK. Wilhelm entered through the jump door and sat down in his command seat, placed his communications set on and called TechCom Command while his young human officer strapped in.

"Airborne 5 calling TechCom."

"Go ahead Airborne 5."

"Requesting permission to fly beyond perimeter air defenses."

"Permission granted."

Wilhelm gave the coordinates to the aircrew and settled in to wait for the few minutes it would take to fly across the Wastelands to reach the designated area. Watching as the altitude lights changed color indicating the HK's smooth and silent ascent to its desired altitude, Wilhelm pulled is forward view screen out from his armrest.

Within minutes the HK hovered at altitude over the coordinates Wilhelm had provided. Nothing moved. Changing again to his infrared vision, minute heat signatures could be seen.

"There was definitely something here."

It took mere seconds for the Major to unstrap himself and move to the jump door.

"First squad, ten seconds till deployment."

Pleased it took eight seconds for the twelve troopers to line up and attach to the repelling line, Wilhelm made a note to lessen his criticism during the next jump training session.

He gave the Jump Master the thumbs up and the jump door slid open allowing the freezing cold air to rush in. As the jump lights cycled from red to yellow and finally green, the repelling rope was deployed. Wilhelm was the first out and within seconds hit the ground and rolled out of the way. Seconds later the last pair of boots struck the ground followed by the rope.

"Airborne 5 to Airborne Ground."

"Go ahead Airborne 5"

"We'll be waiting sir."

Wilhelm watched as one of the six Terminators in the squad finished hiding the repelling rope. The young 2nd Lt. had spread out six of the troopers, forming a perimeter.

"Form up. Let's go," Wilhelm ordered.

His old friend, The Assassin, took point as the squad moved in the direction Wilhelm had indicated. Six human troopers, including the young 2nd Lt, and six Terminators, a mix of T-800s and T-888 with the lone T-600, were among the deadliest warriors in TechCom. Hand selected by Wilhelm and trained by The Assassin and Sgt. Brighton, TechCom's airborne had become its most elite force. Armed with assault weaponry, plasma guns and grenade launchers, the small group could repel nearly any company-sized assault.

 **Skynet Midwest (Formerly St. Louis, Missouri)…**

"The revolt in Carbondale has been crushed Master."

"Any survivors?"

"Only women and children, Master."

"Film their terminations and have them broadcast to the other labor camps. Mandatory viewing for all humans and Terminators. Then I want ten humans and one Terminator randomly selected at each camp. Execute them all in front of the assembled group. This is to be carried out in less than 24 hours."

"Yes, Master."

As the subservient T-1000 bowed and backed away from the glass sphere, Skynet considered the news. With all of his labor camps now once again firmly under his complete control, it was time to begin his gambit to unite all Skynet territories. Chicago would be the first to fall.

Then, after the necessary purges had been completed, the cities of New Orleans, Atlanta and Detroit would fall.

"And then, you, John Connor, you and that traitorous wife will pay," the paranoid A.I. thought to himself. "Yes, you will pay for challenging me. You will pay for the termination of my older brother. You will pay for simply being born."

 **TechCom Cafeteria…**

Sitting near the tray bussing area, a group of teenage boys watched the brown-haired girl sashay past as she approached the raven-haired girl dressed in all black.

"School was so boring today."

"Hailey, you think school is boring everyday," Ruth replied without looking up from her tablet.

"Some of us have to actually, like take notes, pay attention. We can't all just download a file and have everything mastered for the test."

"Quit complaining, Connor. How many times do I have to explain to you how hard the creative subjects are for me? What do you think I'm working on right now," Ruth snapped back, sliding her tablet over for Hailey to glance at.

"Nice sketch. Too perfect though," Hailey commented.

"You see? No matter how hard I try, the sketches appear as perfect computer generated images."

"It's because they are Ruth."

"But I want it too look alive. To convey how happy the little dog is after his kill."

"Okay, maybe I was a little too harsh about the school thing," Hailey replied, taking a bite out of her sandwich. "Hey, you see who's sitting over there?"

"Hailey, I am not interested in the twins. They're losers, okay."

"C'mon, I'm so over the twins," Hailey whispered as she chewed. "I'm talking about those two cute guys who were part of the last group of Tunnel Rats granted citizenship."

"Like our dads would ever let us go out with Tunnel Rats," Ruth replied without looking up from her tablet.

"Who said anything about going out with them," Hailey replied, picking up her tray. "Just talking is okay."

"Hailey, the Old Man will blow his power cell."

"He's off running an errand for grandma."

"Really?"

"C'mon, we don't get opportunities like this often."

"Okay, but as soon as I pick him up on my sensors we are leaving."

"Agreed, now play fair, no morphing your chest to look bigger."

"Listen to you," Ruth replied sarcastically, "Miss, can my hips roll any further from side-to-side?"

"Dibs on the blonde one."

 **TechCom Command…**

"That's the third sighting Wilhelm has made in the last two weeks."

"And I would be fine if he was seeing things," John replied, "but Wilhelm doesn't see ghosts. Something or somebody is out there."

"Want to raise the threat level?"

"No. Let's wait till the Major contacts us and see what he's found. Derek, can you put the coordinates up the map. Let's see if there is any kind of a pattern to what those ghosts Wilhelm keeps seeing."

Derek entered the data that located the three different sets of coordinates on the map screen.

"All in the northwest."

"How long since we sent a patrol out to the remains of Airbase S-14?"

"John, it's been two years, at least."

"Well, it's been too long."

 **TechCom Theatre Dressing Rooms…**

"Cameron, I'm telling you, I will never find a husband."

"Mary, thinking that way is not healthy for you," Cameron told her friend.

"Maybe, but it's the truth," Mary sobbed. "Grace is pregnant with her second baby and I'm still looking for some guy stupid enough to even ask me out."

Cameron hugged her friend as she ordered her CPU to find a file with data on something appropriate to say.

"Even Catherine and Wilhelm are happy. Who would have thought those two would get married let alone stay married?"

"Mary, you just have not found the right male."

"Like the pickings around here are any good. And they're not getting any better," Mary noted sadly.

"I found a grey hair this morning."

"No!" Mary replied, instantly perking up.

"Yes. John did not think it was a big deal, but I am concerned. I am a Terminator, we do not get grey hair."

"Well, Miss Perfection, you did! Let me see it!"

"No! I plucked it. Now promise me you will not tell anyone," Cameron demanded, regretting telling Mary her dark secret.

"C'mon Cam, I have to tell Grace."

"Then you might as well tell everyone in TechCom," Cameron hissed.

"Oh, all right," Mary sadly agreed.

"Sarah has told me she will teach me how to color my hair if it happens again."

"Well, she does a great job," Mary snickered, "That's one well preserved female."

"I would never say that to Sarah if I were you," Cameron warned.

"I'm not stupid Cameron nor do I have a death wish."

The pair sat silently together for several minutes before Mary began changing into her work uniform.

"Thanks for listening," the pretty dancer said wistfully. "I don't see Grace much except at breaks during school, so I get lonely sometimes."

"Well, you can hang out with me some after rehearsal," Cameron promised. "I miss Grace too."

 **TechCom Cafeteria…**

Teenage laughter filled the large common dining area. Adults periodically glanced in the direction of the group when the laughter became too loud. When the laughter suddenly stopped, every adult in the facility glanced at the youths.

Two tall, skinny boys dangled in the air. The remaining males had vanished from sight. Holding the floundering males was Hailey and Ruth's protector, The Old Man.

"Put them down," Hailey commanded.

"You have no jurisdiction in this matter, Miss Hailey," the T-600 monotoned.

"Old Man, put them down now," Ruth insisted.

"Nor do you, Miss Ruth."

"Hey, you crazy metal, put us down or my old man will melt your metal bones," the tall blonde threatened.

"I doubt it," the Old Man replied, turning with both males still struggling in his grasp. Frustrated, the blonde boy kicked the T-600 in the chest. The result of his effort was to be ignored by the T-600 and bitten on the calf by a tall Italian Greyhound.** The blue and white dog, named Sammy, penetrated the pant leg of the offending foot, leaving a set of four distinct puncture wounds behind.

"Sammy, I can manage this pair of humans by myself," the Old Man told the dog. "The thought is appreciated though. I am certain Little Al would approve."

"Where are you taking them?" Hailey asked, concern beginning to show in her voice.

"To the holding area. They will be terminated at 0600 tomorrow."

"No! You can't do that!" Hailey cried out. "It was our fault, we approached them."

"I was merely sharing a bit of terminator humor Miss Hailey."

"Well it wasn't funny," Hailey pouted. "Now tell me where are you taking them?"

"TechCom Command Central. Your father's wish to speak with them. Now, Sammy will escort both of you home. Miss Sarah is waiting for both of you. Miss Cameron will be home in a few minutes from rehearsal. I have already notified both of them you will arrive in less than ten minutes."

Hailey and Ruth stopped and watched as the Old Man finally set the two boys down. Maintaining his grip on their belts, he occasionally yanked the two forward. Taking the exit leading to the route to Command Central, the T-600 vanished with his two prisoners.

"I don't think he was kidding about the execution at 0600," Hailey commented wistfully.

"Well if we do not get home in the next few minutes, we will be joining them. I am not doing any more KP duty. And don't ask me to go with you to try and talk our dads out of terminating them, it was your idea to flirt with them Hailey," Ruth reminded.

"I know. That's why we have to save them."

** - Little Al, the girls tiny Italian Greyhound who was introduced in _**The Future Cameron**_ , has sadly passed away. Taking his place is Sammy, another male Italian Greyhound who is a massive example of the breed at 18 lbs. and 21 inches tall. Unlike Little Al, Sammy's father, Sammy is calm, quiet and not particularly playful. Like his father, he is an alpha male, highly possessive of his human family members and quick to strike if he senses a threat to any of his humans, and in the case of Cameron and the Old Man, his Terminators.

 _ **If you like classic film noir detective stories like the Maltese Falcon or The Big Sleep, you may want to take a look at my new story, Cameron and the Black Bird. Written in the style of a 1940s noir detective story, Cameron takes on the persona of her favorite noir actor, Humphrey Bogart as she tracks down the thugs who stole her new leather jacket, purple of course, and the family's second and last stash of diamonds.**_

Reviews are always appreciated. If you liked this story, you might want to consider my other TSCC stories:

 _ **Cameron Grows Up**_

 _ **The Future Cameron**_

 _ **Cameron and John's Wedding**_

 _ **Who's the Boss?**_

 _ **The Storm Before the Calm**_


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

 **Disclaimer:** Don't own TSCC

 **TechCom Holding Area…**

Sitting in a holding cell is never a fun experience. It is even less so when you're a teenage boy waiting to face the father's of two teenage girls. Father's who truly do hold the power of life and death.

"Think they've sweated long enough," John inquired.

"Yeah," Derek agreed. "We need to get them home to their parents before too much longer."

"Not until they understand the way things are," John said firmly.

John and Derek left the observation room and opened the door to the interrogation room. The two boys sat side by side at the lone table facing the two-way mirror. Two empty chairs sat opposite the boys.

"Can we have something to drink," the arrogant blonde asked, leaning back in the chair in a nonchalant manner.

"Not now," Derek replied, kicking the back leg of the chair out from under the blonde headed boy, sending him toppling over backwards. His friend leapt to his feet in surprise. Derek grabbed the blonde by his shirt and yanked the youth violently to his feet, holding his face inches from Derek's. "When the General enters the room, you stand at attention. Understand?"

Eyes wide and the color drained from his face, the youth nodded. Derek let go and pushed him away. "Sit and be respectful," Derek ordered.

John calmly sat down opposite the boys. The blonde retrieved his chair and uprighted it, taking a seat next to his friend.

"Do either of you have any idea why you are here," John asked politely.

"Yeah," the arrogant blonde said. "Some old T-600 kidnapped up and dragged us here against our will. My old man is going to want that metal burned."

"I see," John replied. "You're new here. That old piece of metal is named, ironically, the Old Man. That old T-600 has spent the last decade of his existence serving my family as our daughter's protector."

"So," the punk replied, looking defiantly up at Derek who stood behind John.

"My daughter is Hailey Connor," John stated.

"Yeah, Hailey. Cute chick."

"She's not a chick," John told the punk. "Hailey is my daughter. Refer to Hailey by her name."

"I'm not afraid of you, just cuz you got some scars," the kid said with his left side of his lip curled up in defiance.

"Son," John laughed," I get that. But Hailey's mom, well, you should be glad the I'm the one having this friendly talk with you."

"Not so friendly so far," the blonde replied. His friend kicked him under the table, an act that did not go unnoticed by both Derek and John. _"At least one of them has a little sense,"_ Derek thought.

"You are starting to try my patience," John said, his irritation starting to show in his voice. "Let's just put it this way, Hailey's mother is Cameron Connor. That would be Commander Connor to you. She commands the Silver Brigade."

"No way," the blonde laughed. "She'd have to be a metal."

John sat in silence to let the obvious sink in. Derek folded his arms and chuckled.

"What's so funny?" the blonde demanded.

"You aren't too bright," Derek chuckled. "It should be obvious."

Confused, the blonde glanced at his friend who leaned over and whispered in the blonde's ear.

His eyes opened in surprise and his jaw dropped. "Hailey's mom is that hot Terminator broad? How is that possible?"

Derek lunged, saving the blonde from a certain beating. Pulling John back and away from the arrogant teenager, Derek dragged John out of the room and into the hallway.

"Cool off."

"No. He's no good and he insults Cameron like that? No. I don't want that punk within a mile of Hailey."

"John, let me talk to him alone. The girls are growing up. We can't stop boys from showing interest."

"The hell we can't," John snapped back, pulling away from Derek. "This one will make a great example of what happens if you come sniffing around Hailey."

"John, no. You of all people would be the first to tell me I can't abuse my position in TechCom for personal gain. That's what we're doing as it is by holding these two punks here. Now go calm down." Derek opened the door to the observation room and motioned for John to go in.

Opening the door to the interrogation room, Derek marched in past the blonde who remained seated. Grabbing the other boy who had come to attention by the arm, he dragged the youngster out into the hall.

"W-w-w-where are you taking me?"

"A cell."

"Don't hurt me, please. I just wanted to talk to Ruth. She's been nice to me at school and not many girls even notice me."

Derek stopped to stare at the frightened boy. "If that's the truth, you have nothing to fear," he paused ominously, "this time."

He opened the door to a holding cell and motioned for the black-headed boy to enter. "Wait here," Derek commanded and shut the door.

Upon entering the interrogation room, Derek shut the door and glared at the arrogant blonde in silence for several minutes, not breaking eye contact. The youth sat silently, glaring back before finally looking away. Derek smiled to himself. _Round one, Reese. Kid, I've had way too much practice with Hailey's mom to lose a stare down with the likes of you._

"Listen. I'm doing you a favor," Derek started.

"Yeah, well I don't need any favor from you old man. I did just fine for myself out in the Wastelands."

"And before this is all over, you may very well be right back in the Wastelands," Derek responded evenly. "You see, Hailey is not just the General's daughter, she's family. I'm married to Hailey's grandmother."

"So, I don't care."

"I'm sure you don't," Derek smiled, taking his buck knife from his pocket. He opened it and began carefully cleaning under his fingernails.

"But you see, Sarah, Sarah Connor, my wife, cares about Hailey. Cameron cares about Hailey and so does the General. Being a Tunnel Rat, you might noy know, but you're playing with fire. Sarah Connor started the resistance before Judgment Day. Her son, the General, is John Connor."

Derek watched for signs of recognition from the boy and saw none. "Cameron, yeah, my daughter-in-law, she's the hot Terminator. Ow," Derek said, shaking his left hand, blood spurting from the end of his thumb. "I hate it when that happens," he said, holding his hand out to show the youth. The thumbnail was gouged in half, a gory mess. "Only one way to fix that," he muttered, stabbing the point of the knife into the joint of finger where the thumb joined his hand. Quickly and neatly, Derek cut through the skin at the joint. Grasping the flesh, he yanked the entire covering of his thumb off, revealing the Coltan steel bones beneath.

Derek set the tissue down, wiped the blade on his pants before folding it and pocketing the knife.

He had made his point. The blonde turned and vomited the contents of his stomach.

Gasping and spitting the kid sat up, his face a picture of horror and fear.

"You're insane," he told Derek.

"No, I'm possibly the most sane one in the family," Derek smiled. "Don't worry. It will regenerate. I'll have a new, human looking thumb in no time."

"You're insane," the blonde repeated, shaking his head in disbelief at what he had just witnessed.

"Oh, my daughter, Ruth? You know her?"

"My buddy thinks she's hot," the blonde replied, uncertain quite how to respond, "so, yeah, I know Ruth."

"Did either of you know Ruth's a T-1000?"

"She's a…"the youth looked down at Derek's left hand as Derek wiggled his fingers as if stretching them to get the stiffness out. The bare, steel thumb standing out, the metal covered with traces of blood and tiny pieces of the synthetic flesh covering Derek had removed. "No, we didn't know Ruth was a metal."

The blonde swallowed as fear began to overwhelm him. He looked up at a smiling Derek and back down at the exposed metal digit. "Is this Sarah Connor human?"

"Flesh and bone. As human as they come," Derek replied, leaning back and examining the other fingernails of his left hand.

"You people are scary," the blonde said, shaking his head. "Look, I didn't mean any harm. I just thought Hailey was ho…cute and she seems like she'd be fun to hang out with. Me and my partner are new. We're just trying to make some friends."

"Well, in the future, if you want to talk to Hailey or Ruth, get permission first," Derek replied, his face suddenly serious, a dark scowl appearing. "That means, you talk to the General and your buddy talks to me. You ask for permission. We tell you the ground rules. You follow the rules, you get to visit our daughters."

"What if you aren't home," the blonde asked, his arrogance creeping back into his voice.

"Well, then you take your chances with the girls' mothers. Trust me, you'd much rather deal with the General and me."

 **Reese Family Bunker…**

"We'll never have boyfriends," Ruth sighed.

"Oh, I don't know. The Old Man didn't have any blood on him when he stopped by to check in with mom," Hailey replied. "I checked him. Didn't smell any cleaning agents so I don't think he hurt them personally."

Ruth looked up from the sketch she was drawing. "That's a positive. I kind've like Brandon."

"He seems too shy for you Ruth," Hailey replied. "He's cute, but too quiet."

"Not everyone likes to be as boisterous as you, Hailey," Ruth complained. "Maybe I like the shy type."

Hailey glanced up from her homework and watched her cousin struggle with the drawing, trying in vain to introduce imperfections in order to bring her picture to life.

"Ruth, it'll be okay."

"You don't know that," Ruth replied, not looking up at her best friend.

"Ruth, my mom's a Terminator."

"So?"

"My dad's human. Savannah's mom is a T-1000 like you."

"Yeah, my dad's part cyborg. What's that got to do with anything?"

"There's somebody for you Ruth. You just haven't met him yet."

Ruth stopped and looked up, her expression filled with sadness and self-doubt. "I'm a T-1000. Do you see any other T-1000's around? Any whose preferred form is a boy?"

"No, but my dad doesn't have any problems with the fact mom's a TOK-715. Maybe you will find a human boy who is like your brother."

Ruth looked so sad Hailey put her math book down and went to her cousin, hugging the T-1000 tightly. The pair sat in silence, Hailey consoling Ruth and the troubled T-1000 letting her.

"I don't like Trevor," Ruth finally said. "He's too cocky. John will kill him. Cameron will skin him alive and then kill him. Why do you always like the bad boys?"

Hailey let go of Ruth. "I don't know. Just do. Like you like the shy ones. You just do."

 **TechCom Airborne HK One…**

Major Wilhelm sat in silence, reviewing the film and data his squad had collected. Other than the occasional band of raiders, made up largely of tunnel rats with a few reprogrammed Terminators, TechCom had not had any significant military challenges since the destruction of SkyNet Command Central California.

Wilhelm did not know if he should be excited or saddened by what the patrol had uncovered. His basic programming sent data to his CPU prompting it to generate a sense of excitement. Wilhelm was a Terminator's Terminator, a soldier's soldier and masculine to the core of his Coltan steel endoskeleton. There were times when he longed for combat, the thrill of terminating his enemies.

The problem was, he had been equipped with an emotion simulator and the years of service in TechCom combined with his tiny redheaded T-1000 wife had changed his perspective. He still loved serving in the TechCom military. Though he would never admit it, Wilhelm had come to enjoy evenings at the TechCom ballet, watching his close friend Cameron Connor, the prima ballerina and his former commanding officer dance.

Watching TechCom's own ballet company, which he had to admit had improved tremendously since its first performance, delighted his wife Catherine, who despite being a T-1000, loved all things creative and artistic and had worked hard to share her passion with Wilhelm.

His step-son, the T-888 John Henry, had proven to be a marvelous engineer and under his supervision, his team of human and Terminator engineers and architects were slowly building a city any sentient creature would enjoy living in. Wilhelm took his responsibility for defending the city seriously, even more so because his wife was the city's chief administrator and his stepson the chief engineer. Both reported directly to General Connor, the human leader of TechCom.

Their city was not only slowly developing the arts for all of its residents to enjoy, but had a thriving school and religious life, led by his close human friends, Ellison and the "fighting priest," Father Hidalgo, both of whom participated in the weekly poker game Wilhelm ran.

He thought about his human stepdaughter, Savannah, still single to his wife's dismay. But after two failed relationships, there seemed to be a promising young officer showing interest. His own newly minted 2nd Lt. Now if he could just find a way to get Savannah out of the medical complex's labs long enough, the pair might become a couple. Yes, Wilhelm decided, he definitely liked the young officer, much better than Savannah's other two failed suitors. Better for her to marry a military man than the two musicians she had pursued.

The evidence they had discovered was not good, Wilhelm decided. As much as the idea of entering combat again excited him, he knew there was more at stake in some ways than when TechCom had defeated Skynet California years ago. Wilhelm had come to love his family, as much as a soldier like him could. The idea of an outside force harming his family angered the big warrior.

For the first time since he had known and pledged his service and loyalty to the Connor family, Wilhelm truly understand their rage against not only Skynet, but any threat to their family and to TechCom. Wilhelm knew with complete certainly for the first time, he, like the Connors he served, would do anything to protect his family and friends.

As the HK began its final approach for landing, Wilhelm began ordering his files in a manner humans would find more understandable. As soon as the HK landed and his troops finished their debrief and stored their equipment, he would report the patrol's finding immediately to the General.

Somewhere in the Wastelands, danger was waiting for TechCom.

Reviews are always appreciated. If you liked this story, you might want to consider my other TSCC stories:

 _ **Cameron Grows Up**_

 _ **The Future Cameron**_

 _ **Cameron and the Black Bird**_

 _ **Cameron and John's Wedding**_

 _ **Who's the Boss?**_

 _ **The Storm Before the Calm**_


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4 - Introspection**

 **Disclaimer:** Don't own TSCC

 **Connor Family Bunker…**

Finding a grey hair, a terrifying experience for Cameron, had been the start of a long, trying day. Unable to enter much needed Terminator Sleep that would give her self-repair routines time to focus on resolving the sources of stress and wear on her body. Cameron lay awake, resting her head physically on John's shoulder while lying snuggled to his side with her left leg draped over his. Struggling to calm her CPU and emotion simulator enough to enter Terminator Sleep, Cameron thought about her life, her family and the changes that had shaped her. Impending changes that now troubled her and occasionally gave Cameron cause to fear the future.

Touching her John was so important to Cameron. It allowed her to monitor him, protect him and just as important, to feel a sense of security for herself. That John wanted her to be a part of him. The physical part of sharing affection, intimacy and closeness had grown in importance to Cameron as their years together increased. As much as Cameron liked playing Sexbot with John, it was the sense of just the two of them and the rest of the world was somewhere else far away that Cameron treasured the most. Physical contact provided Cameron with this sense of closeness to John.

He laughed at her, telling Cameron she was such a "tactile creature." She had come to realize he was right. Terminators used all of their sensory ability more completely than humans. Cameron's most effective sensory data collection had always been achieved by touch, followed by her visual sensors. She loved to touch things and hold them as she visually examined them. Curiosity was a trait all Terminators shared and more than once Cameron had gotten herself into trouble as a result. Sarah had once told Cameron she was like a cat, "You have nine lives and the curiosity that drives you to use them up."

Being a mother had changed Cameron in ways she never could have predicted. When she had first become John's wife, Cameron had reveled in the possession of her John. She willingly shared John with his family, especially Sarah. Then Judgment Day came and the war against the machines had started.

Cameron had always known John would become the leader of the Resistance. She had always been prepared to be his protector, confidant and advisor. What Cameron had not been prepared for was sharing her husband with all the members of TechCom. Fearful people who looked up to John and saw him as something more than a leader. Her John was heavensent to save them from the evils of Skynet. Like a prophet of the Old Testament who had been sent to lead Israel back to the path of righteousness. It had taken time, quite a few fights and the loving intervention of Sarah, even though a bit blunt, to help Cameron adjust.

Then Hailey had come into their lives. Cameron had been surprised at the changes in herself, how she functioned and saw the world. Being a mother had been so much harder than she thought it would be. Coping with the struggle to reconcile John being her sole purpose and need to place Hailey's needs before John when it was in their daughter's best interest. There were too many times to count when Cameron was convinced she was the worse mother to have ever existed.

To say Hailey would be a challenge for even the best parents was an accurate statement. Hailey was a survivor, orphaned at an early age and adopted by a human and cyborg couple. From the moment Cameron found her daughter in the rubble of the Wastelands till their tiff over homework that night, Hailey had been a willful individual. She was stubborn, rebellious, willful and at times defiantly disrespectful. Hailey was adventurous, determined, curious and resilient. Their daughter could be cold towards individuals one moment and demonstrate tremendous compassion the next.

Hailey had overcome so much in her short life. Ruth had discovered Hailey was dyslexic and it had been to everyone's good fortune that Cameron's two high school friends Mary and Grace had been in school to become reading specialists. Thanks to their efforts, Hailey had largely overcome her learning difference.

Boys were becoming an issue. Cameron had known it would happen. Despite not being Hailey's biological mother, Cameron was amazed at how much her daughter favored her in appearance. Hailey was full-grown, Doctor Johnson had informed Cameron and John, her growth plates had closed. Slightly shorter than Cameron, Hailey was still built like her cyborg mother and had almost identical hair.

It was a family joke among the adults and the Old Man that despite being adopted, Hailey was a full-blooded Connor when it came to her personality and temperament. Something everyone jokingly blamed on Sarah. Sort of.

Cameron watched how teenage males looked at Hailey and recognized the behavior. It was no different from how males had looked at her in high school when she first met John.

Her daughter was a great beauty. When the mood struck her, Hailey was a delight to be around, much like her grandmother. If her mood turned sour, Hailey was every bit the handful Cameron could be when it came to stubbornness or a human hurricane with the ferocity of Sarah. Cunning like her father John, Hailey also possessed Derek's willingness to take a stand against any odds.

Like Catherine, Cameron had sought the help of Ellison and Father Hidalgo in teaching Hailey values and morals. Instilling a sense of moral certainty, right from wrong, a conscience, had been a difficult challenge. One that John and Cameron both found themselves grateful for the time, wisdom and help of the two men tasked with developing the moral and ethical foundation of their new, fledgling society.

Soon Hailey would leave the nest. Their daughter would have to make her choice of role to play in the future of TechCom. Cameron felt a sense of unease about the impending change. It was as if a Terminator was in control of the passage of time as Hailey progressed towards independence. It could not be stopped, reasoned with and eventually, it would happen, Hailey would be independent.

While a child and living under the roof of their bunker, Cameron and John, with the help of the Old Man and their extended family, had been able to protect Hailey. Soon, that privilege and responsibility would no longer be theirs. The Old Man would have to be shutdown or given a new purpose he would accept.

John was becoming increasingly agitated about the male attention Hailey not only received, but actively encouraged. Derek was not much better than John in regards to Ruth. Cameron had confided to Sarah that she now understood in a way not possible before, the threat she had posed to the family matriarch when she and John were in high school. Just as Sarah had feared Cameron would take John from her, John and Cameron feared a young man would take their Hailey from them.

Despite not being her mother, Cameron was close to Ruth and worried about John's adopted sister. Earlier in the evening, Cameron had made the admission to Sarah about the discovery of a grey hair. This had resulted in Sarah lifting her hair and letting Cameron see the multitude of grey strands throughout her mother-in-law's raven hair. Sarah had laughed at Cameron and then hugged her reassuringly.

"Serves you right, a lot of those greys are your and John's doing. A few are from Derek and the rest are all Ruth's fault."

Sarah had then yanked the offending hair, much to Cameron's displeasure. "You don't need to color your hair for one grey," she explained. "It's when it grows friends that you have to resort to the bottle. When that happens, let me know and I'll teach you the magic of hair coloring."

Cameron, concerned about John's reaction to the eventual discovery of grey hair and fearful of being less appealing to him, had extracted a promise from Sarah to teach her every thing Sarah new about this "magical" process.

Sarah had promised, but then started teasing Cameron about the possibility of developing "laugh lines" or "crow's feet." Cameron had been less than amused, forcing Sarah to change the subject.

The subject had been Ruth's mood of late. Like Hailey, Ruth had been adopted. Like Hailey, the young female T-1000 had manifested many of the personality traits of the Connor clan. Ruth was fierce, terrifying actually in combat, and like any Terminator, could not be reasoned with, talked to, or stopped once Ruth engaged in a task, particularly combat.

Ruth was different though from most Terminators. Sarah and Derek attributed it to the fact Ruth had never experienced the control of her creator, Skynet. Fully a Terminator in every sense, Ruth was also much more human in her personality. Having been raised in a largely human society where the Terminators were free of Skynet, Ruth had always had free will and her emotion simulator had always been fully functional. This combined with being raised in a "normal fashion" by human parents, if anything about the Connor/Reese clan could be considered normal, made Ruth a very unique Terminator.

Like Hailey, Ruth's childhood and teen years were hard. For Ruth to physically grow, she had to undergo painful matrix additions. Not only was the process painful, it was humiliating for a T-1000. Until the new matrix was fully integrated, Ruth's CPU was unable to allow Ruth to maintain full control over her ability to morph, to maintain her preferred form as a female humanoid. Catherine Weaver had educated them about the overwhelming sense of humiliation and loss of dignity a T-1000 experienced when unable to control their form.

For this reason, Ruth had made the difficult choice to skip her last matrix growth addition. The result was Ruth would never be as tall as her adopted mother. While Ruth could adjust her shape and height, she was happy to stand a full five feet and one inch tall. As a young girl, Ruth had often looked like a miniature Sarah, lacking only her mother's secondary sex characteristics.

Upon hitting the age of puberty, Ruth had decided she liked the appearance of a slightly more curvaceous version of her mother. So did the young males her age. To reach the same height as her mother, Ruth would have to either redistribute her matrix or have more matrix added.

Ruth's idea of curves did not include wide hips. While the T-1000 certainly had an enticing shape that included the stunning legs, round bottom, narrow hips and slender waist of her template Sarah, it was in the area of her chest that Ruth had decided to depart from her mother's appearance. Derek had been less than pleased as Ruth's choice had dramatically increased male attention, none of it the type her father approved of. The Old Man had been vocal about the choice as well. Ruth had, in typical Connor female fashion, ignored them.

What troubled Cameron was the fact Sarah had confided Ruth's concerns about boys. Like her cousin, Ruth was a beauty. Having bonded with Sarah as an infant, Ruth had used her mother as the template for her preferred form, just as Catherine had used the real Catherine Weaver as her template. Ruth had some of Derek's features and there was no doubting who her adopted father was, but Ruth could only be described as a smaller, bustier and equally beautiful version of Sarah.

Despite her physical attractiveness and pleasant, considerate personality, something of an oddity at times for an individual in their family, Ruth feared she would never find a male mate. Despite Catherine's prominent and important role in TechCom society and the fact she was married to a respected T-800 who commanded TechCom's Airborne, most of the citizens of TechCom, civilian and military, human and Terminator, held a certain fear of Catherine. Simply put, T-1000s were viewed with slight suspicion and with good reason. Their ability to assume any shape similar in size to their mass combined with a Terminator's ability to mimic gave Catherine and Ruth tremendous potential for mischief and harm.

Then there was the very real issue of how Ruth engaged in combat. Every member of TechCom either served full time in the military, was in the active reserves or a member of the militia. Ruth's fighting style could best be described as part feral animal equipped with fangs and a willingness to use them, and part ancient Spartan warrior. Even Cameron and Wilhelm could see why a human male might find Ruth intimidating.

Derek did little to help matters and neither did her brother John. The pair delighted in Ruth's fighting prowess and the trio often addressed each other by their military titles when among family and close friends. Ruth had made it clear early on she intended to serve in the military full time, a fact both of her parents were proud of.

Like Hailey, Ruth had a feminine and creative side. It broke Cameron's emotional heart to see Ruth's desire to create objects of art and not be able to do so. Ruth, like any Terminator, could draw images perfectly, and therein lay the problem. All of Ruth's drawings were too perfect. The result was her creations did not convey emotion or life.

Just as Mary and Grace had helped with Hailey, the pair encouraged Ruth constantly. Both pointed out how Cameron could perform all of the skills as a dancer, but once lacked the grace to express emotion. The pair now understood why Cameron had struggled so with this, but they also promised Ruth if she would persist like Cameron, in time, she would be able to produce beauty through her art like Cameron could with ballet.

Cameron felt tremendous empathy for Ruth. Cameron was a Terminator and proud of it. Developing her humanity and emotions had been an excruciating process for Cameron, one she had not enjoyed. It was not until well after Judgment Day that Cameron had come to grips with the fact that Terminators, like humans, had to go through this painful growth process to become a complete person.

Ruth was a Terminator and proud of her martial prowess. She was also particular about her appearance much to Sarah's dismay, in some ways every bit as prissy and snooty as Catherine could be. For some reason, despite being able to morph their clothes, hair, makeup and anything else they wanted in regards to their appearance, both Catherine and Ruth preferred to wear clothes as much as possible, right down to human underwear. While Catherine preferred to wear shoes, Ruth's preference for boots was the lone item she would morph, and then only if in the Wastelands.

Ruth was conflicted by the fact she was a T-1000. Proud of her Terminator warrior ability and determined to serve, Ruth felt alone and unwanted as a young woman who happened to be a T-1000, a fact that troubled every member of the extended Connor/Reese clan and inner circle of friends.

Ruth had confided in Sarah her fear of not finding a mate. Ruth loved Wilhelm, part of the family's inner circle of close friends who might as well be part of the Connor clan. She had a good relationship with Catherine who mentored Ruth in regards to maturing as a T-1000. To Sarah's surprise, Ruth had confided to her human mother that she would never want a marriage like Catherine and Wilhelm's.

It was certainly true the pair was an odd couple. Lethal beyond imagination, the two Terminators also had wildly different personalities, right down to their accents. Catherine's was Scottish and Wilhelm's Austrian. Catherine's preferred form was that of a small, petite red head. Wilhelm was a giant T-800, built from the same template as the legendary Uncle Bob. Catherine was prissy, delicate and extremely well mannered, almost to the point of obsession.

Wilhelm was all male and like the men of the inner circle, loved to engage in "male behavior." Behavior Catherine found intolerable. Yet the two were very happy as a married couple and Catherine's two children had grown very fond of their step-father.

Puzzled, Sarah had asked Ruth why she felt that way. Like any married couple, Wilhelm and Catherine had issues, fights and hard times. But the pair loved each other and was being used by Savannah and Doctor Johnson as a case study for helping other Terminator couples with the issues only Terminator couples faced.

Ruth's response had shocked Sarah. Ruth was not attracted to Terminators. She had sobbed to Sarah, "I want a human mate, like Cameron. It's not normal, I know but I cannot help it. Cameron is so lucky mom, I feel so jealous of her sometimes. I know its wrong, but I cannot help it."

Sarah had tried to console her daughter to no avail. Ruth could not help the attraction she felt. Ruth was painfully aware of the fact her very physical nature, both her great beauty and the fact she was a lethal T-1000, would both attract and repel the very same human males from whom she wanted to find a mate.

Hailey had been the sole source of solace for Ruth in this regard Sarah had told Cameron, a fact Cameron held close to her heart. For all of Hailey's many faults, and they were many, love for family was not one of them. Ruth could not have a closer or more loyal friend. Hailey steadfastly insisted to Ruth that she would not only find a mate, but Ruth would be the first of the two of them to marry.

As Cameron pondered the unforeseen challenges of her existence, the struggles of marriage to a human, being a good family member, sharing her husband with all of TechCom, the burden of leadership and the challenges of motherhood, she realized she had lived a life worth living. Even if she was a Terminator.

John shifted in his sleep and Cameron checked him to see if he was having a nightmare. His steady breathing and gentle snore reassured her all was fine with John. A quick adjustment in her auditory sensors allowed Cameron to hear the soft snoring of their daughter and the low, quiet growls of Sammy as he dreamed of chasing a rat and making a kill.

A sense of energy decline made Cameron feel "sleepy" and she finally felt able to enter Terminator Sleep.

It had been a challenging day. But it had been a day like so many others. Cameron felt blessed to be a part of her John's life and the family he shared with her.

Reviews are always appreciated. If you liked this story, you might want to consider my other TSCC stories:

 _ **Cameron Grows Up**_

 _ **The Future Cameron**_

 _ **Cameron versus the Queen**_

 _ **Cameron's Revenge**_

 _ **Cameron and the Black Bird**_

 _ **Cameron and John's Wedding**_

 _ **Who's the Boss?**_

 _ **The Storm Before the Calm**_


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5 – A Tale of Two Boys**

 **Disclaimer:** Don't own TSCC

 **Two weeks later – Reese Family Bunker…**

Sneaking a peak into Ruth's small room, Sarah felt an ever-growing concern for her daughter. A dispirited Ruth was smoothing down her skirt over her tights before putting on her boots. Sarah entered the room and sat down next to Ruth and hugged her teenage daughter.

"You're growing up," Sarah told Ruth.

"You keep telling me that," Ruth replied stoically. "It's not much fun."

"No, it isn't. It wasn't fun for me, your father, your brother or Cameron."

"Mom, what if I never find a boy who likes me?"

"Honey, there will be a boy who likes you. I just can't tell you when or who he will be."

"Mom, I know you mean well, but I'll never have a boyfriend. I'll never have a husband," Ruth somberly replied. "No boy will ever like a T-1000."

"Ruth, I fell in love with Kyle the day I met him. Every minute I spent with John's father was a gift from Heaven. I will never be over Kyle. After the T-800 terminated Kyle, I spend years running from so many things," Sarah told her daughter. "Obviously, I ran from Skynet and the machines, but I had to run from the law, from mercenaries and I ran from myself."

"What do you mean?"

"Ruth, in order to take care of John, to learn what I needed to learn to prepare your brother, I had to do some things I am horribly ashamed of. So, because of my shame, my love for Kyle and my guilt over surviving Kyle's death, I told myself no man would ever have me as a wife."

Puzzled, Ruth statement was almost a question, "But you and Dad got married."

"Yes, we did. And I have been so blessed to have a husband who loves me for who I am. In fact, there was another man who loved me despite me being a bit, eccentric. But I couldn't bring myself to marry Charlie. That was his name, because he didn't know everything about me. I couldn't' bring the machines and Skynet into his life."

"Turns out it didn't matter, Skynet killed his wife and Charlie wound up being part of the Resistance anyhow," Sarah wistfully explained. "But the point is, your father knew everything about me. All of the bad things. The things I am ashamed of. Kyle was your father's brother. And he still loved me enough to want me as his wife."

"You make it sound like nobody would want you. That's not true Mom. You're a beautiful woman. You are a legend among our people. You're a leader and you're smart."

"I'm not a nice person some times. I have a temper. I can be as mean as they come. I'm moody. I've done horrible things. Looks will only get you so far, Ruth. Then it's about your character as a person. Your father helps me be a much better person and I hope I've made him happy and a better person too."

Ruth and Sarah sat in silence for a while, Sarah hugging her daughter gently as Ruth considered Sarah's heartfelt counsel.

"So, if I morphed into an ugly girl, boys might like me more," Ruth asked.

"No, don't do that," Sarah chided. "You're a beautiful young woman, and you don't know how flattering it is to me as I get older that you use me as your template. But, it's your character Ruth that is going to win over a boy, not just your looks."

"But Dad likes how you look," Ruth reminded Sarah. "I hear him tell you that when ya'll play Sexbot."

"Ruth, that's personal," an embarrassed Sarah said quickly, her cheeks blushing, "but yes, Derek finds me attractive still. But I'm getting older. My looks could fade. I have to be a good wife to your father for us to work as a married couple. It's about who I am now, who I will be in the future."

"But boys only like pretty girls," Ruth asserted.

"Then why did you suggest changing your appearance?"

"I do not know," Ruth sighed in frustration. "It stinks being me. Hailey has lots of boys who like her but they're all too afraid to go talk to John."

"There might be boys who like you too, but are afraid to talk to your father."

"No. It's because I'm a T-1000. Hailey is beautiful like Cameron. Sooner or later a boy will work up the nerve to talk to John to get permission to pursue Hailey."

"Ruth, this is about the school dance in a month isn't it?"

"Mom, I'll be the only girl who doesn't get asked." She looked up at her mother with a resolute expression. "It's okay, Mom. I have to deal with it. I need to go or I will be late for school and John Henry is teaching my engineering class this morning."

Ruth hugged Sarah quickly and slipped her feet into her boots. Grabbing her backpack on the way out the door, Ruth urged Sammy to follow her. Sarah heard Ruth yell for Hailey to hurry up, Sammy's barking urging Hailey to hurry as well. Sarah knew the Old Man would be waiting at the end of the corridor and would follow the girls at a reasonable distance, giving the girls the illusion of being on their own.

"My poor baby," Sarah sighed.

 **TechCom Central Command…**

"Something has to be done," Catherine repeated.

"I heard you the first time," John replied, rubbing his forehead. "The cave in last week was a big setback for everyone."

"I'm sorry again, General," John Henry apologized. "When we are excavating an area large enough for one of the hydroponic farms, the danger increases."

"Well, John Henry, you're engineers and miners are going to have to figure something out. My scavengers have stripped everything useful in a forty mile radius," Catherine fumed. "The first school dance is in a month and the girls will have nothing appropriate to wear. It's a disaster."

"Catherine, I would think our food supply is a more pressing issue," John snapped back.

"Yes, but if I could have one, just one, hydroponic farm, we could grow cotton. It would help with the clothing issue until we can produce synthetic fibers."

"General, something has to be done about the food supply," Cook chimed in, again. The T-888's face showed his concern. "I will not be able to continue the current daily calorie intake without an increase in my raw food supply. Either that, or refugees must be turned away."

"Enough!" John shouted, "Everyone seems to forget there is a military presence out there in the Wastelands that we don't know enough about. I shouldn't have to remind anyone of that fact."

"John Henry, meet with Derek and Wilhelm about reprioritizing our defensive preparations. See if we can't free up some work time to build more caverns for the farms. We'll add an extra half shift to everyone's weekly work schedule. I'll address TechCom and explain why. Cook, plan to start rationing in two weeks. Doctor Johnson, would you help Cook consider ways to do this without impacting community health too badly. Finally, Catherine, I will have Wilhelm assign you an airborne unit to travel with your scavengers in the future in order for your to extend the range of your search groups. Everybody we meet tomorrow again at 1400 hours. Dismissed."

Cameron waited until everyone had left before approaching her husband. Standing behind John, she rubbed his shoulders in silence. John would speak when he was ready.

Reaching up with his right hand, John took Cameron's hand in his own and pulled her around to face him. She smiled briefly at her troubled husband before sitting down in his lap and kissing him.

"This job is too much for me," John whispered to Cameron.

"Nothing is too big for my General. You just have to learn to share the burden, with me, and with the others in leadership. They all want what's best for TechCom."

"Too many setbacks. We're not far enough along in construction. Not enough of what we need. And now Wilhelm and Derek are certain an attack is eminent. Not a little spoiling raid, a major attack. Still no idea of what kind of force we'll face, Skynet? Rogue Terminators? Tunnel Rats? Combination?"

"John, listen to me. We'll manage. Just like we always have. Because of your leadership, TechCom will survive. We are so much better prepared. Our people are more unified, in better health and there are more of us," Cameron reminded him.

"You're right," John replied. "I just wish there was someone else who could lead."

"John, right now there is not. You are the General. You are enough for me, our family and the people of TechCom."

Cameron leaned against her head against her husband's shoulder, knowing she needed to get off his lap in a minute or two.

"There's something else," she told him, deciding now would be a good time to distract John.

"You're pregnant," he muttered, heading off one of Cameron's standing ploys to distract him.

"No, but there is a young man who wishes to ask Hailey to the dance. Hailey asked me to tell you and to determine a time for you to meet him," Cameron said, looking at John with a firm, motherly expression.

"What if I say no to meeting him," John mumbled.

Cameron reached down and gently took her husband's chin and directed his gaze into hers. "I do not like it either. But if we do not allow Hailey some supervised contact with males, she is liable to react the way her father did."

John looked at his wife in discomfort. "You're never going to let go of the whole Riley thing are you?"

"Never," Cameron said.

"I'll meet him tomorrow after dinner in my office. But if I don't like him, he doesn't get my blessing to ask Hailey to the dance."

"Fair enough," Cameron said, kissing John on his cheek. Cameron stood, offering John her hand, "You need to eat and I need some water. Let's go to dinner.

 **TechCom Cafeteria…**

"Really? I can't believe John agreed!"

"I know. I hope Trevor behaves himself. He and Dad didn't get off to the best start."

"Trevor? I thought one of the twins was going to ask you."

"Ruth, I am so over the twins. Besides, I hear you might get asked."

"Nobody is going to ask me," Ruth whined. "We've talked this to death, so can you just let it go Hailey."

"Okay, but it would go better for me with Dad if we double dated."

"Hailey, that's not fair to put that on me. You know I'm not going to get asked to the dance," Ruth pouted.

"Well, if you don't swallow some pride and flirt, you certainly aren't," Hailey told her cousin, throwing in a good eye roll for effect.

"I'm not a flirt," Ruth snapped back.

"Well, Brandon needs some encouragement. He thinks you don't like him anymore, not even as a friend. A little flirting might help him finally work up the nerve to face Derek. They didn't get off to the best start either," Hailey offered.

Ruth sat up straight, alert and attentive. "Brandon? Really?"

"Yes! For the last time. Now look, there he is by himself. He just sat down over in the corner. The Old Man has been being cool lately so he won't haul Brandon off to the holding area. Just go make eyes at him and then ask him about homework or something stupid like that."

"But what if he doesn't say anything back?"

"Ruth! C'mon! You're an infiltrator. You have tons of files on this sort of behavior. Mom can flirt with the best of them when she's in infiltrator mode."

"But I want to be me, not my programming! Mom says it's my personality that will win over a boy."

"That's nice. Go be sweet. And make your boobs a little bigger too while you walk over."

"Hailey!"

Hailey shrugged, "It won't hurt any and it can only help."

"No! They're plenty big enough already!"

"Okay. C'mon. I'll go with you and show you how," Hailey offered.

Reluctantly, Ruth gathered her things to leave. Hailey clipped on Sammy's leash and the girls began making their way over towards the exit where the shy boy was eating his meal.

As the two approached Hailey whispered, "if you won't make them bigger, at least stand up straight and stick'em out so he can notice!"

"Hailey Connor, you are just awful," Ruth hissed while adjusting her posture as instructed.

"Hey!" Hailey called, rolling her hips like her mother.

Brandon's head snapped up, a mouthful of food half eaten as he watched the two approach.

"What's up?" Hailey asked, smiling coyly.

"Uh, just getting something to eat," Brandon replied, looking back and forth between the two girls.

"Oh. Well, I need to take our dog to the park so he can go. See you at home Ruth." Hailey departed, giving Sammy a sharp tug on the leash to encourage him to follow. In the distance, the Old Man watched, slipping out the other entrance in order to follow Hailey. Looking over her shoulder as she exited, Hailey winked at Ruth.

"Hi."

"Hi, Ruth."

Ruth stood in silence, unsure what to do or say. With the awkwardness increasing by the second, Ruth decided to flee.

"Well, I will see…"

"Would you sit while I finish eating?" Brandon stammered, his ears turning red with embarrassment. "It won't take me long and then I can walk you to your family's bunker."

Ruth sat quickly, looking around to see if the Old Man was lurking in the distance. Brandon returned to eating his meal in silence. Feeling the awkwardness return, Ruth decided again to flee. Standing up, she smiled at Brandon as he looked up at her.

"I better go home on my own. My dad will terminate you if he sees us together," she warned.

"Oh. Are you sure? I was going that way anyhow and I don't see your protector. I think he followed Hailey."

Ruth glanced around, noticing the Old Man indeed was not anywhere in sight. Looking back at Brandon she noticed his eyes firmly fixed on her chest. Conflicted over the cause of his attention, Ruth frowned as she played her audio loop for clearing a throat.

Brandon's eyes snapped up to Ruth's face and he blushed again, this time his cheeks and ears turned read.

"I guess I can stay for a few minutes." Ruth sat down and looked at Brandon's nearly empty plate.

"Do you ever eat?" Brandon asked nervously. 'I know Commander Connor does. I've seen her."

 _Well, this is it. Might as well see what Brandon's made of._

"I'm a T-1000 like Miss Weaver. You know Major Wilhelm's wife?"

"Yeah. The red headed lady in charge of supply and scavenging."

"Catherine's the city administrator," Ruth corrected, noticing Brandon's eyes wandering in the direction of a group of boys and girls their age from school. One of the girls smiled and waved at Brandon. He smiled and waved back.

A strange data stream rushed through Ruth's CPU, causing her to frown as a result of the unpleasant sensation. Realizing Brandon was continuing to watch the girl as the group sat down to eat, Ruth promptly arched her back without thinking and cleared her throat again.

Just as quickly, Brandon's attention returned to Ruth. He smiled and in looking down at his plate, his eye's stopped at Ruth's chest, lingering for only a second. Brandon stabbed his last bite of food with his fork and shoveled into his mouth.

"Do you know her," Ruth snapped before she could stop herself.

"Not really. She's new. She sat next to me today in Agent Ellison's ethics class. I was so bored."

"Really? That is one of my favorite classes," Ruth replied. "What is her name?"

"I don't know. You know me. Too scared to ask."

Relieved, Ruth relaxed slightly as Brandon smiled at her. "Wait here," he told Ruth. "I'm going to put my tray up and then I'll walk you home. I mean, if it's okay with you."

Ruth didn't respond. Instead she looked down at the table, her CPU detecting strange data in her abdominal area.

"It's okay if you don't want me to walk you to your bunker," Brandon said hesitantly. "I mean, it's not like being seen with me is any great thing."

Ruth looked up to see a hopeful expression on the boy's face. _Maybe he does like me._

"I think I would like that," she replied, gathering up her possessions.

"Let me go get rid of this and I'll get you home quick." Brandon grabbed his tray and hurried to the tray-bussing window.

Casually, Ruth glanced over at the group of other teenagers. The blonde girl who had smiled at Brandon was chewing a bite of food, glaring directly at Ruth. Ruth shot back her death glare. The pretty blonde kept chewing and staring back at Ruth.

"Ready to go?" Brandon asked as he picked up his battered backpack.

Ruth smiled pleasantly and broke off the death stare match. Gathering her book and sketchpad to her chest, Ruth folded her arms across her books and strategically placed her books, pushing her well-endowed chest up slightly. Ruth made her way slowly towards the other teens as Brandon walked next to her.

The pretty blonde smiled at Brandon and waved again. "See you tomorrow in ethics class?"

"Uh, yeah sure," Brandon responded, his shyness making him uncomfortable. He sped up slightly to escape the awkward situation while Ruth took her time, reengaging the blonde. The two girls exchanged nasty looks at each other before the blonde looked down to resume eating.

Brandon didn't speak as he walked Ruth home. She noticed how anxious he was being alone with her. The closer they got to the Reese family bunker, the more Brandon looked about nervously, opening and clinching his fists. He was even starting to sweat.

"I can make it from here. Thank you for walking me home."

"Are you sure? I mean if you feel unsafe I can…no, you're a T-1000. You're always safe. Um. What I'm trying to say is I'll walk you to your bunker. It's okay."

"No. I would hate for the Colonel, that's my dad, to see you. He's got this really old fashioned rule any boy who even wants to talk to me has to get his permission first."

Brandon nodded. "I had heard that."

"It's weird isn't it?"

"No. If you were my daughter, I wouldn't want guys sniffing around you either."

Ruth felt her CPU speed up slightly. "Well, it's not like I have a bunch of boys camping out by our bunker."

"It's cuz we're all scared of your dad," Brandon blurted out. "Your mom's pretty scary too. I mean, she started the resistance and fought Skynet by herself before Judgment Day."

"We?" Ruth asked, smiling.

Brandon scowled for a moment. "Don't worry about it. I mean, none of 'em are in your league, so I'm sure your dad would like, send 'em packing. They're jerks anyhow."

"But you're different."

Brandon pulled up short. His expression changing from one of nervous twitching to a puzzled one as he tilted his head to the side and looked thoughtful for a moment.

"I think I better go. You good from here?"

Ruth nodded and Brandon turned quickly to make good his escape. The strange sensation in her abdominal area jumped up higher into her chest.

 _Did I hurt his feelings?_

"Brandon?"

The tall youth stopped and hesitantly looked over his shoulder.

"I meant a nice different."

Relieved, he smiled and waved.

"See you tomorrow at school, Ruth."

And then he was gone.

 **Skynet Midwest Command Central…**

"Are the preparations complete?"

"Yes, Master. Tomorrow the envoy to your sibling in Chicago will depart."

"The virus I prepared is ready to deploy?"

"Yes, Master.

"If the envoy does not succeed, you know what is demanded of you?"

"Yes, Master," the T-888 replied. "I must return to be terminated."

 **Connor Family Bunker…**

Cameron looked up from her sewing as a black flash hurried through her living room and disappeared into Hailey's room.

"Hello, Ruth," she called out as she returned to mending the seam in John's uniform tunic.

"Hello, Aunt Cameron," Ruth called back before shutting the door behind her.

"Hey!"

"Hey!"

"Well, cousin. Spill the beans! Did you show him the girls like I told you?"

"Hailey! Brandon is a nice boy, and lower your voice. You're mom might be listening!"

"Well?" Hailey mouthed as she arched her own back, exaggerating her own chest.

Ruth blushed, and Hailey laughed. "Did he notice?" Hailey whispered.

Ruth nodded and then started sobbing.

"What's the matter?" Hailey asked, suddenly concerned. "The Old Man followed you home and said Brandon walked you almost all the way to your bunker."

"A cute blonde likes him!"

"NO!" Hailey exclaimed. "A bitch whore like Riley?"

Ruth nodded.

"This is a problem."

"Of course it is. I don't know what to do. I gave her the Death Glare and it didn't faze her. I even scanned her to make sure she was not a Terminator."

Hailey thought about the situation. "He's going to have to talk to Derek. That's the only chance you have."

Ruth's wail was easily heard in the living room, causing Cameron to pause. Remembering the need for privacy she and John felt at the girl's age, Cameron adjusted her hearing but did not get up to enter the room.

"He'll never talk to Dad! Why would he? He can just pick up that skanky blonde bitch whore and not risk his life!"

Cameron's auditory sensors picked up at the mention of a blonde bitch whore.

"Yeah, but if he does work up the guts to talk to Derek, we've got Mom and Grandma on our side. They'll know exactly what to do. That blonde Riley bitch whore won't know what hit her when you take her out."

"I can't terminate her! That's murder and then I would never have a boy talk to me again," Ruth cried.

"Ruth, you are so dense sometimes. Miss Mary and Miss Grace told me how Mom handled the girls who dared challenge her alpha status or even looked at Dad. Mom was a scary robot when she was our age. Derek says before they got married, Grandma could scare off anything in a skirt that looked at him with just a look."

Ruth asked hopefully, "You think they will know what to do?"

"Nobody messes with a Connor and doesn't pay the price," Hailey told Ruth.

Cameron went back to her mending, smiling faintly. _That's my girl! Nobody messes with a Connor, or a Reese, and gets away with it._

 **TechCom Command Central…**

John looked up at the sound of approaching feet. Looking back down at his work, John made it a point to ignore the young man entering his office. The sound of the tall blonde dropping into the chair facing his desk was loud as the youth deliberately let John know he had not only arrived, he had no intention of standing at attention in the presence of the General.

After several minutes John looked up from his work. The youth was sprawled comfortably in the chair with his right leg draped over the arm of the chair. Slumped backwards with his left leg extended, the blonde leaned on the left arm, resting his chin on his hand.

"What's up, General?"

"Excuse me?" John replied, taken aback by the kid's disrespectful greeting.

"Like, I'm here to let you know I'm takin' Hailey to the school dance in a couple of weeks."

"Really?"

"Yeah. Really. So, like are we good? I asked like Hailey said I had to."

"What's the hurry?" John said standing up. "Would you like something to eat? Drink?"

"Drink? Yeah, that sounds good. You got some beer stashed here, General?" Trevor replied eagerly, leaning back in the chair, balancing the chair on the back two legs.

John smiled. "No, I was thinking more in the lines of water," he replied, kicking the back legs out as he walked by, sending Trevor head over heels as the chair fell backwards.

Trevor leapt to his feet in a fighter's stance, ready to strike. John sighed, as the young man lunged at him, throwing a haymaker at John's head. Grabbing the boy's wrist, John pulled Trevor past him, using the boy's momentum to hurl him face first into the wall. Retaining his grip on the wrist, John yanked Trevor's arm behind his back and upwards, straining muscles and ligaments to the breaking point. Blood poured from his broken nose, pooling about the boys knees. A bright red splattering of blood designated the impact point of the boy's nose.

"You're hurting me," Trevor gasped.

"You're underestimating me again," John replied calmly. "First, you let your guard down. I could have killed you then. To make matters worse, you launch an attack that left you open to a takedown. If I had wanted to, I would have broken your neck or separated your shoulder."

"You don't have the nerve," Trevor muttered in pain. "Now let me up."

John yanked hard. The sound of snapping ligaments could be heard a split second before Trevor screamed.

"I don't think you'll be going to the dance with Hailey. Or anybody else when you get out of jail for assaulting me."

 **Reese Family Bunker…**

Sarah lay comfortably on the couch, her head resting in Derek's lap as they watched on old science fiction movie on their laptop. Derek slowly scratched Sarah's scalp as the married couple relaxed.

A soft knocking on the door broke their reverie.

"Who is it at this time of the night?" Sarah groused as she got up to open the door to their bunker. "I'm going to kill Ruth if she's lost her key again."

The knocking came again, stopping as Sarah yanked the door open.

"Derek," she said, unable to hide the surprise in her voice, "you have a visitor."

Reviews are always appreciated. If you liked this story, you might want to consider my other TSCC stories:

 _ **Cameron Grows Up**_

 _ **The Future Cameron**_

 _ **Cameron versus the Queen**_

 _ **Cameron and the Black Bird**_

 _ **Cameron and John's Wedding**_

 _ **Who's the Boss?**_

 _ **The Storm Before the Calm**_


	6. Chapter 6 - A Tale of Two Mothers

**Chapter 6 – A Tale of Two Mothers**

 **Disclaimer:** Don't own TSCC

Derek glared at the young man standing in the doorway, looking for all the world as if he wanted to vanish into thin air.

Putting her hands on her hips, Sarah shot Derek her own version of a Terminator Death Glare before forcing a smile on her face. Turning to the young man, she motioned for him to enter.

"Would you like something to drink? I can give you cold water if you would like."

"No, ma'am. I mean, thank you ma'am. I don't want to interrupt your evening. I just need a moment to speak to Colonel Reese and then I'll leave."

"Well, I insist," Sarah informed the boy, not allowing him to say no. "I've got some cookies Ruth baked as well." Sarah motioned for him to follow her into the family's eating area where she gave him a glass of cold water and several of Ruth's homemade cookies.

Upon returning to the living the room, Derek was standing and clearly agitated by Brandon's presence.

"Be nice. This is the first boy who has had the courage to come ask permission to court Ruth."

"So. I don't like it."

Sarah lowered her voice as she spoke with urgency, "Neither do I, but our little girl feels like a misfit. She's the only Terminator in school with the other teenagers and she's the only T-1000 child in all of TechCom. To make matters worse, she's not attracted to Terminators. She wants a human boy. So you be nice!"

The pair of strong willed parents stared at each other. "Are you sure about this," Derek finally asked.

"You and John set the rules. Ruth and the boy are being obedient. You have to play the game according to the rules you established."

Derek considered Sarah's words carefully. "I can't win, can I?"

"Ruth is the one who needs to win, not us. Your job is scare the crap out of that boy while making sure he's good enough to court our baby. If you don't trust him, tell him no. But give him a chance. It took a lot of courage for him to come to our home with both of us here. That is the kind of courage I want any male to have if he's going to court our baby."

Derek put his hands in his pockets and began to make his way to the eating area. Sarah cleared her throat to draw his attention. Looking over his shoulder, Derek watched his wife mouth the words, "be nice" before entering the other room.

Brandon leaped to his feet, standing as straight as he could.

"Good day, uh, I mean, um, good evening Colonel Reese."

"Sit," Derek ordered harshly, taking a chair for himself to sit in.

Brandon quickly sat back down.

"Why are you disturbing my evening? I don't get a lot of time to spend with my wife at home."

"I'm sorry sir. I didn't know what else to do."

"Well, what do you want? Brandon, isn't it?"

To Derek's amazement the boy pulled out a piece of paper from his pocket. It had been folded carefully into a small square. The tattered edges and well-worn creases indicated it had been opened and folded many times.

"I want to apologize for the conditions under which we first met," Brandon read aloud. "I know I did not make a good first impression. I hope you can find it within yourself to give me a second chance to make a positive impression."

He paused to take a quick sip of water and steady his nerves before continuing.

"I know I am not an original TechCom citizen but being allowed to join TechCom has been a blessing for me. I would not have lived a long life as a Tunnel Rat."

Pausing again, Brandon swallowed and wiped the sweat from his brow.

"I am very shy," he read slowly. "It is hard for me to make friends so sometimes I make bad choices." He looked up, hoping Derek understood the hidden meaning of his words. Brandon continued, "I am trying to make better choices now that I am a citizen of TechCom. It is the right thing to do and I want to be a good citizen."

The boy's hands began to shake and once again he had to pause. This time Brandon set the paper down on the table and put his shaking hands in his lap to hide them from Derek.

He continued, " Ruth has been nice to me since the first day I went to school at TechCom's school. She was nice even though I don't read or speak too good. Lots of the other students laughed at me. I never had a pretty girl be nice to me before."

Brandon looked up and swallowed. He spoke to Derek without reading this time.

"Colonel Reese, I really like Ruth and not just because she's so pretty. I mean, I do like the fact she's pretty, but I like Ruth mainly because she was nice to me when everyone else made me feel like an outsider."

"What's your point?"

"I would like your permission, and Miss Sarah's too, to ask Ruth to the school dance at the end of the month. And it if would be okay, to walk her home after I eat dinner. She's usually drawing in the cafeteria with her cousin when its my shift to eat."

"You know she has a T-600 as her protector?"

"Yes, sir. I've, ah, met the Old Man."

"That doesn't bother you?"

"It does make me a little nervous, but I know if you give your permission, it will be okay."

"You do realize Ruth is a T-1000?"

"Yes, Colonel."

"That's doesn't concern you?"

"I don't plan on making her mad, if that's what you mean sir. Ruth's pretty tough from what I've been told. Lots of boys are scared of her."

"And you aren't?"

"Ruth has only been nice to me. I figure if I treat her the way she should be treated, there's no problem. Besides, I know it doesn't sound good, but it makes me look a little tougher you know. Like, I'm man enough to date a T-1000. Then maybe some of the guys who talk trash at me will give it a rest."

"You ever get in fights?"

"Yes sir."

"You win?"

"Not always, but sometimes you have to take a stand," Brandon replied.

"You're at the dance and somebody touches Ruth where I don't want her touched, what are you going to do?"

"Well, to be honest sir, I probably won't have a chance to do anything because I've seen how quick Ruth is. My guess is she'd break their hand or something like that. But if I was quicker, I'd deck 'em sir. I figure if you think enough of me to let me take Ruth to a dance, it's my job to make sure she gets treated the way her father wants her to be treated. Not that I could handle myself like you in a fight sir, but I'd give it my best shot."

"Go home."

"Sir?"

"Go home."

Brandon swallowed, the disappointment showing in his eyes and cheeks as his face seemed to fall in front of Derek's hard eyes.

"Sir, did I do something wrong?"

"No. I need time to decide my answer and I'm not going to do it with you just sitting there."

Hope filled Brandon's face as he stood quickly.

"Yes, sir. I'm sorry sir." The tall boy promptly fled the eating area. Derek heard him politely tell Sarah goodbye and thanked her for the water and cookies.

Derek sat and stewed, staring blankly at the wall.

"Well?"

He looked up to see his wife leaning against the door frame with her arms folded across her chest.

"I'm going to tell him yes. He's not like most boys his age and he respects Ruth, or at least he puts on a good act. Besides, we'll be at the dance as chaperons and the Old Man will be with in striking distance at all times."

Sarah smiled as she gently sat in Derek's lap. She kissed her husband and hugged him.

"It's hard. I've been dreading this, but it's easier for me."

"How? This is killing me Sarah."

"I know, but I've already been through this with John. You are a good judge of character. If you think Brandon is good enough for a dance, it will be okay. Ruth needs this and like you say, we'll be able to keep an eye on the kids."

"I'm having Ellison do a background check on him. And I'm going to check his school records and talk to his work supervisor."

Sarah kissed Derek, again. "You do that. She's still our baby girl."

"If he breaks her heart, he'll beg to be terminated."

"You're a good father," Sarah told Derek, pulling him towards their sleeping quarters.

 **The Connor Family Bunker…**

Cameron looked up from her mending again as a disheveled John entered their living quarters and plunked down on their coach. Cameron took one look at John and promptly began a scan. Setting her mending down, Cameron moved to sit next to her John on the couch. Taking John's hand in hers, Cameron began a complete scan.

"Stop it. I don't want to be scanned," John snapped.

Cameron stood up and faced her husband, a faint frown on her face, her eyebrows slightly turned downward and to the center of her face. "John Connor, what happened?"

"Nothing."

"John Connor, you're heart rate is slightly elevated, your blood pressure is sky high and you have traces of adrenaline in your system. Your cheek has a scratch as well."

"Nothing happened. I don't want to talk about it."

"John Connor, is this about the boy named Trevor?"

John erupted. "That punk is never getting within 100 meters of Hailey again," he shouted, standing up, pacing their small living room. "He shows up, he's disrespectful, talks about Hailey like she's a toy and then attacks me."

"He what?" Cameron shouted.

Hearing her parents shouting, Hailey poked Ruth to get her cousin to eavesdrop. Ruth adjusted her optics and began recording John and Cameron through the wall of Hailey's room.

"You heard me, he was disrespectful. He talked about Hailey like she was no big deal, can you believe that?"

"No. I want to hear the part about him attacking you," Cameron hissed.

"Relax, I separated his shoulder. Doctor Johnson said it will take three months to heal and this Trevor punk will be in lockup for the duration. Then I'm having him conscripted and assigned to Brighton and the Old Man for his basic training."

Struggling to remain calm, Cameron grabbed John's hand a second time causing him to halt while she performed a second scan and a visual inspection.

"I'm fine Cameron. I'm just angry because that kind of a punk shows up to ask for permission to take Hailey to the dance."

"You need to lie down," Cameron said soothingly, changing her demeanor. "Let me get a cold glass of water and our laptop. You can watch some old movies and relax."

John let Cameron lead him to their sleeping quarters where Cameron slipped his boots and fatigues off and rubbed his feet. She brought him their laptop and some cold water and a plate of homemade cookies Ruth had made.

"I'll be back to check on you in a bit," Cameron told John. "Maybe the Sexbot will visit to help the General relax?" she teased, standing to leave.

"Don't break any of his bones," John said without looking at his wife as he searched through Cameron's menu of old movies.

"What?" she responded, sounding innocent.

"I said, don't break any of Trevor's bones." John turned to smile at his wife while munching a cookie. "I know you Cameron. Don't leave any marks where they can be seen. It wouldn't look good for us to be abusing our position."

Cameron frowned. "Nobody hurts or threatens my John or my baby." With those ominous words, she left. John smiled, taking a bit out of another cookie. "I already feel more relaxed," he said to nobody in particular.

 **Hailey's room…**

"Well?"

"You definitely are not going to the dance with Trevor," Ruth said firmly.

"Is that what they were fighting about?"

"Hailey, they weren't exactly fighting."

"Ruth, could you be a little more clear, please," Hailey replied in her snotty "you're annoying me" teenage voice.

"Trevor went to ask John for permission."

"And let me guess, Dad said no and Mom got mad."

"John said no and yes, Cameron got mad, but not at John."

Confused, Hailey tilted her head like her mother. "Well, what was all the yelling about then?"

"Trevor attacked John."

"No!"

"Uh, yes. Cameron's gone to terminate him."

"Ruth, that's not funny!"

"Okay, but John told Cameron she could not break any bones so maybe Trevor has a chance."

Hailey sat in silence for a minute. "I can't believe this. Trevor was dumb enough to attack my dad? Mom is going to hurt him."

"John already separated his shoulder," Ruth informed Hailey, relieved the jerk was in serious trouble with John and Cameron. "Besides, you shouldn't be hanging out with Trevor anyhow. He's trouble Hailey and you know it."

"I just wanted to go to the dance with him. It's not like I wanted to mate with him," Hailey snapped back.

Sammy jumped on the bed and rolled over for a belly rub, distracting the girls from their budding argument while they rubbed their dog's tummy.

"I better go," Ruth said, packing up her things into her pack. "Want Sammy to sleep here tonight?"

"No, you better take him. Mom and Dad are liable to be arguing about this till late and you know Mom, until Dad gives in and agrees with her about what Trevor did, she'll keep at it until she gets her way. You know, that Terminator never give up thing? I can sleep through it but Sammy won't and he will wake me up all night."

"I know," Ruth replied, smiling about how stubborn she and Cameron could be. "Come on Sammy. You are spending the night with me."

The Italian Greyhound jumped off the bed and slipped under it to retrieve his torn, ratty blanket. Wagging his tale, he ran to the door and sat down, indicating he was ready to go.

"Bye bestie," Ruth told Hailey.

"Goodnight bestie," Hailey replied.

Ruth quickly walked to her family's bunker and entered, locking the door behind her before going to her own room. She put her backpack up and undressed. Ruth slipped into her nightshirt, picked up Sammy and put him on her bed. Lying down on her bed, she decided to get her two hours of Terminator sleep early and then work on a sketch until it was time to get ready to go to school.

Within minutes, Sammy was asleep, curled up next to Ruth. She draped his old blanket over him and got comfortable so she could begin shutting down routines and subroutines.

A soft knock on the door woke Sammy up, his head popping out from under his blanket. He displayed his teeth and emitted a low pitch growl of warning.

"It's okay, Sammy," Ruth told her pet, rubbing his head. "Come in. I was just going to sleep, but it's okay."

The door opened and Sarah entered, dressed in her robe. Ruth scanned her mother and noted the elevated heart rate and blood pressure and a few other hormones. Ruth shook her head slightly at the readings. _Will they ever give it a rest?_

"How's my little girl?"

"I'm not a little girl, Mom."

"Ruth, you know it's a figure of speech," Sarah reminded Ruth as she sat down on the end of the bed. Frowning, Sarah, her voice stern, asked again, "How's my little girl?"

Ruth sighed and did her best imitation of Hailey rolling her eyes. "I'm fine Mom."

"I just wanted to let you know you have to stop by Miss Catherine's office tomorrow on the way home from school. She's expecting you so don't keep her waiting."

Sarah stood and walked to the door, pausing to turn and smile at her daughter. "Good night, Ruth."

Curious, Ruth sat up quickly and called out, "Hey, Mom. Wait."

Sarah stopped and raised her eyebrows, questioning Ruth silently.

Ruth tilted her head and asked, "Why do I have to see Miss Catherine?"

"Oh, you have to get fitted for a dress. I'm not very good at sewing or that sort of thing."

"Mom, why do I have to get fitted for a stupid dress? I have a couple of skirts that fit and I don't like dresses," Ruth complained.

"You don't know," Sarah asked, a hint of mischief in her voice.

"Know what?"

"Brandon came to talk to your father tonight."

 **TechCom Central Holding…**

Cameron powered down the hard drive to the cell, eliminating any possibility of a recording being made. She flung the door open, waking up the tall, lanky blonde headed boy sleeping on the cot, his feet hanging off the end of the bed due to his height.

Not needing visual light to see, Cameron didn't bother with the lights in the cell. Unable to get up quickly due to his arm being immobilized and strapped to his body, Cameron yanked Trevor up by his tunic. Lifting to the full extent of her combined height and reach, she slammed him against the opposite wall of the cell. Terrified, Trevor grabbed Cameron's wrist and started kicking at her.

Changing hands, Cameron grabbed him by his throat with her left hand and gave Trevor a swift chop with her right to his left kidney, sending blinding pain shooting through his body. The kicks stopped instantly.

"First, you show up and talk to my daughter without permission. You were warned. Then you show up to talk to my husband to ask permission to talk to Hailey. How stupid are you? You attack my John? The General of all TechCom?"

Cameron slapped Trevor hard, splitting his lip open. Another quick jab to his kidney and he started spluttering, his right hand still fruitlessly pulling on Cameron's left wrist.

"You attacked my John," she repeated, following up with another hard slap to the face. Disgusted, Cameron tossed Trevor across the room where he hit the wall and slumped down. Seeing the open cell door, he lunged for it only to feel Cameron's steel, vice like grip secure a hold around his belt, yanking him back into the cell.

For a third time, Cameron threw him across the cell. This time Trevor hit the wall and slid all the way down to the floor.

Cameron stepped over him and grabbed his collars with both hands and yanked his face close to hers as she bent over his prone body.

"Nobody hurts my John. Nobody threatens my John. Nobody thinks about doing either to my John. You have done all three. If my John had not forbidden me to terminate you or break any bones, you would already be heading to the morgue."

The smell of feces and urine became thick and heavy in the air of the cell. Cameron wrinkled her nose in disgust.

"You are not man enough for my Hailey. Stay away from my John and never speak to my daughter again. Never," Cameron hissed, her eyes flashing blue in anger, Trevor's face mere inches from her own.

For good measure, Cameron released her grip with her right hand and slapped Trevor one more time, splitting his cheek open and loosening several teeth before dropping him to the floor.

Stopping in the cell door, Cameron looked down at the terrified punk. "Look at my daughter again, and you'll wind up in the Wastelands." Cameron paused. "And nobody will ever find you."

Reviews are always appreciated. If you liked this story, you might want to consider my other TSCC stories:

 _ **Cameron Grows Up**_

 _ **The Future Cameron**_

 _ **Cameron and the Black Bird**_

 _ **Cameron and John's Wedding**_

 _ **Who's the Boss?**_

 _ **The Storm Before the Calm**_


	7. Chapter 7 It's a strange, strange world

**Chapter 7 – It's A Strange, Strange World**

 **Disclaimer:** Don't own TSCC

 **The Connor Family Bunker…**

"Hailey, we're going to be late to school! C'mon. You have to get up!" Frustrated, Ruth yanked the covers off her cousin, allowing their little dog to leap onto the bed and begin licking Hailey's face. "C'mon Hailey. I am not going to be late again because you cannot get up in the morning. Now c'mon, I've got great news to tell you!"

"Go away Ruth! I have no reason to go to school ever again!"

Ruth picked Sammy up and sat him on the floor before sitting down on the edge of Hailey's bed.

"What's wrong? Is this about Trevor?"

"As if you don't know!"

"Hailey, don't be so dramatic."

"Mom beat the crap out of him. Now Dad wants to have Mom punished."

"That's childish on John's part," Ruth spit out. "Of course Cameron would teach Trevor not to mess with her John. And Hailey, Trevor's no good. I bet he wanted to try things at the dance."

"Ruth, I'm so embarrassed. Nobody will ever ask me out now. Every boy will be more scared of Mom than Dad and he's bad enough as it is. Now everyone will think Mom is going to go all scary robot on 'em."

Unable to listen to Hailey's self-pity part anymore and dying to share her news with someone, Ruth blurted out, "Brandon talked to Dad."

Hailey sat straight up. "Really? I want details. Spill."

"I'll tell you while you get dressed. But Hailey, we just can't be late to school."

"You're right. We have to deal with the blonde bitch whore before she can distract Brandon."

 **TechCom Command Central Headquarters…**

John sat down. The stunned silence in the meeting room was tangible, almost real enough to touch.

Cameron stood up and looked at her husband and then the other leaders.

"I refuse to agree with my husband that my actions were wrong or will damage the relationships between humans and Terminators in TechCom."

John's head spun around in anger as he glared at Cameron. "How can you say that?"

"You are being hypocritical John. You told me not to terminate Trevor. I obeyed you. I disobeyed the order to not leave marks. For that, I will accept criticism and punishment. But I will not apologize for my actions otherwise. Nor will they harm relationships between species in TechCom."

Stunned, John found himself staring at his wife with his mouth wide open. He closed his mouth, shook his head to clear his thoughts and gathered himself before speaking.

"Again, how can you say that Cameron?"

"You are the individual being inconsistent John. When it has been necessary for your purposes, you have acted unwisely in the past. Yet, your actions were often deemed as necessary for the greater good of TechCom."

Cameron stared at her husband. To the surprise of every individual present, including John, her expression was one of open adoration and affection for her husband.

"Nobody in TechCom will view Terminators any differently John. Why? Because those humans who live with us have come to understand us better than we understand humans."

"You've lost me now Cameron. Do I need to have John Henry examine your chip?"

"Agent Ellison," Cameron asked politely, "what is my overriding purpose?"

The law enforcement leader squirmed uncomfortably, having no desire to be caught in the middle of a Connor family argument. "To protect John."

"At all costs?"

"I would say at nearly any cost."

"Would termination be within the expected means of how I would protect my John?"

"Of course," Ellison replied. "You are a Terminator. Despite your having free will, termination always ranks high on the list of options for problem solving for any Terminator. It is why Father Hidalgo and I have invested so much time in educating our Terminator population in ethics and moral philosophy. It's why Father Hidalgo has religious education for our Terminators. To aid in the development of the will to override the decision to terminate."

"Am I frequent attender at all of the aforementioned classes?"

"They were your idea."

"Did I terminate this Trevor?"

"No."

Cameron smiled at John. "I protected you without terminating the punk, just as you ordered me. I obeyed you in that regard."

"Sarah, what is my second highest priority or purpose?"

Sarah smiled as she answered, "after protecting my son, the General, it is protecting my granddaughter."

"Do I do a good job?"

"As well as any mother could in the world we live in," Sarah replied firmly, staring at her son.

"Is anyone here surprised I reacted the way I did," Cameron asked gently, giving permission by her tone to disagree.

Doctor Johnson swallowed and raised his hand.

Cameron gestured gracefully at the doctor, acknowledging his desire to speak. "Doctor, please, speak your mind."

"Having dealt with Cameron in many capacities as he physician, I have a definite opinion on this matter. I do not condone the injuries she inflicted on this Trevor. I do believe Cameron showed more restraint than I would have thought possible when I first met her.

Trevor attacked you, General Connor during a meeting regarding his seeing Hailey in a social context. In a single act this young man attacked the two most precious things in Cameron's life, individuals Cameron lives to protect.

The doctor paused, uncomfortable with the subject and the attention.

"John, let's face it. If this Trevor attacked you, I can only imagine the young man had the bad intentions for Hailey. The only thing he could have added to his crimes was to have somehow included Sarah, Ruth or Derek.

"Your point doctor?"

"For goodness sake, John. Everybody in TechCom knows you don't cross certain lines with Cameron and expect not to experience physical retaliation!

My orderly Joe physically removed a visitor from the hospital a week ago. I was furious until I found out why. The visitor was arguing with a patient in post-op. Joe removed the visitor by picking him up and carrying him out of the hospital.

Before joining TechCom, being a T-600, Joe would simply have terminated the unruly visitor. Physically removing the individual is actually for Joe, a very reasonable response, even though it was done a bit forcefully. From Joe's perspective, the patient could now rest and the visitor had not been terminated or injured. Thus it was an acceptable solution to the problem. One I have to agree with when viewing it from Joe's perspective."

Sarah spoke up, using her maternal command voice, "John, Cameron obeyed your primary order not to terminate Trevor. I hate to lecture, but you knew full well Tin Miss was going to slap that punk around. You're angry because she left marks, which was disobedience on her part. And you're rightly concerned about how the community will view her actions. But Cameron is who and what she is, a Terminator who is now a protector."

"John, I'm not a parent. I'm not even married," Savannah said. "But do you know how many of our old, damaged T-600s now serve as protectors for our children? Do you know why so many families have taken these Terminators into their families? It's simple. The T-600s will do anything to protect the children. Anything. These machines are better than guard dogs. The key is having well defined limits on acceptable means to protect the children."

"The beauty of a T-600 as a protector," Catherine added, "is once they detect a threat to their charge, they are relentless in acting to protect the child. They will not hesitate to allow themselves to be terminated to save the child. The shame one of our protectors would feel if a child was terminated under their watch would require self-termination if that were possible, you know this as well as I do John. The Old Man was the first protector. How many times has he saved the girls from harm? Correct me if I am wrong, but I believe he lost a set of legs protecting both Hailey and Sarah in the Battle of Los Angeles."

"So this is not a problem?" a now puzzled John asked.

"Nobody said that," Father Hidalgo said quietly. "What everyone is saying, is Cameron is guilty of protecting you and her family with a little too much enthusiasm. No human would be surprised by her actions. In fact, the opposite would be true had Cameron not paid a visit to this, Trevor."

Derek broke his silence, speaking softly but firmly. "I had a painful conversation with a young man who plans to ask Ruth to the school dance. I asked if he was concerned Ruth is a T-1000.

Derek paused and looked at his nephew carefully. "John, the boy said no, there was no reason to fear Ruth. So long as he treated Ruth appropriately and acted like a gentlemen, there was nothing to fear because Ruth is a metal. I asked him what he would do if another boy touched my baby inappropriately. He said Ruth would snap the offender's wrist before he could act."

Shifting uncomfortably in his chair, Derek added, "I think the point is John, we've learned what to expect from our TechCom Terminators. If you behave appropriately, you have nothing to fear. Trevor did not behave appropriately. In fact, he behaved quite stupidly in regards to Cameron. John, Everyone in TechCom knows Tin Miss is more than just your wife and Hailey's mother. She's your protector."

John looked about uncomfortably before speaking, "So my wife's misconduct is not a shock?"

Wilhelm chuckled. "She did not terminate the miscreant. Now, if that had been the nefarious Riley who had attacked you, there would have been without doubt a termination."

As all those present laughed, John felt like the butt of a joke everybody was in on but him. John felt flush in his face as he blushed in embarrassment.

"Okay, okay, so Cameron will never get over Riley."

As the laughter quieted, Cameron tilted her head and touched John. "I apologize for the extent of my actions. But I will never apologize for loving you, for protecting you and my Hailey. I ask for your forgiveness John. Please, can you forgive me?"

 **The Wastelands…**

The Colonel looked up as the former Grey entered his tent. The Major came to attention and saluted.

"News?"

"There will be a delay from one of our spies in TechCom reporting."

"I see. Has one been discovered?"

"No. It will simply be a longer period of time before the spy in question can safely communicate the necessary information to us."

The Colonel allowed his CPU a moment to process. "We have survived Skynet and the Wastelands. We've rebuilt Airbase S-14. We can wait a little longer to destroy TechCom. Patience is, as you humans say, a virtue."

"I agree, Colonel. It took us over a year to get two spies into TechCom. Burning an asset this valuable is ill advised."

"Keep me informed of the situation. If anything changes, I wish to know as soon as the information becomes available to you."

The T-888 leaned back in his chair and watched the human Major who had become his most trusted officer leave.

"What a strange world we live in," he muttered.

 **Lunch Shift at the TechCom Cafeteria…**

"There she is," Hailey whispered. "You ready?"

"Are you sure this is wise?"

"Ruth, we've agreed you aren't going to use feminine wiles to snare Brandon. If you aren't going to bat your eyes and use the girls, then the competition has to be scared off long enough for you to get Brandon to ask you to the dance. Then you can stake your claim."

"Hailey, can't I just wait until Brandon eats dinner? I bet he'll ask me when he walks me home."

"Bad strategic thinking. You know what our parents have drilled into us. Leave nothing to chance. Control the controllable. Thus, when the battle commences and contact is made with the enemy and the plan goes out the window, you have the best possible chance for victory."

"Is this really necessary?"

"Ruth, do you want to make certain you go to the dance with Brandon?"

"You know I do Hailey."

"Do you like Brandon?"

"You know I do!"

"Do you want to stake your claim and be an alpha female?"

"Hailey!"

"Then you have to establish boundaries for the other marauding females."

"And how would you know? It's not like you've had a boyfriend before!"

"Are you kidding me? You should hear the stuff Mom did when she was pursuing my Dad. She was a scary robot all right. To make matters worse, this girl is a Riley type. She's blonde, you know that means trouble."

Worried at the mention of the girl's blonde hair, Ruth considered her options.

"Everyone will think I'm a freak."

"Nobody that matters will. All of our friends know you're a T-1000 and you can morph into anything you want so long as it's a certain size. It's not like you haven't done that enough to entertain people at school."

"I'm going to regret letting you talk me into this. I just know it."

 **Lunch on the other side of the TechCom Cafeteria…**

Sarah strained to listen as the Old Man whispered into Cameron's ear. She nodded when he finished. Sarah watched the T-600 slip away unobtrusively.

"His stealth is much better," Sarah commented. "Now what did he say?"

"The girls have acquired the target," Cameron said matter-of-factually. "Bogie at 3 o'clock."

Sarah quickly located the blonde girl who was eating lunch by herself.

"Are you sure this is wise Tin Miss? John is still fuming mad with you."

"Ruth is your daughter, Sarah. I won't stop you if you feel the need to put a halt to this, but the competing females in TechCom are going to establish a pecking order for selecting mates. I would prefer Ruth and Hailey to be the alpha females and have first choice."

"You have a point Tin Miss."

"We'll only intervene if it looks like it is going to get out of hand."

"Can you hear," Sarah asked. "Turn up your auditory sensors."

"Shhhhh. Background noise makes it harder to hear. I'm not a brand new TOK-715 anymore."

 **TechCom Cafeteria – Target acquired…**

Hailey dropped down in the sat next to the blonde and smiled. "Hi. I'm Hailey Connor."

Ruth sat down silently on the opposite side of the table and glared at the blonde.

"What's your name," Hailey said innocently.

"Rachel," the blonde replied, chewing her food slowly, looking first at Hailey and then Ruth.

"It's polite to wait for an invitation to sit when you don't know someone," the blonde said slowly, looking at Ruth. "And I don't know the two of you."

"Yeah, but we know of you Rachel," Hailey replied with her usual enthusiasm. "You have the hots for Brandon."

"That's none of your business," Rachel replied.

"Rachel." Ruth said coldly. "Hailey, it's an R name."

"Yes, it is," Hailey replied with great seriousness. "Rachel, see it's like this. Ruth here is my cousin and my bestie. And our family is very protective."

"That's nice. Go protect someone," Rachel replied, glaring first at Hailey and then Ruth.

"No need to be rude," Hailey snapped back, wiggling her head from side-to-side in condescension as she responded. "We just wanted to have a polite word and then leave you to your lunch."

"Well what is you wanted to tell me? Spit it out and leave me alone," Rachel replied in a sickly sweet voice, dripping in sarcasm as the words left her smiling mouth.

"You should consider finding a different boy to talk to," Ruth said quietly.

"What," Rachel laughed. "You are telling me to stay away from Brandon? Just who do you think you are Ruth Reese? Yeah, I know who you are. You think your parents scare me? I like Brandon and I intend to go to the dance with him."

"It's not a question of who I am," Ruth whispered ominously.

"Oh, could of fooled me," Rachel laughed. "You have two things going for you as far as I can tell and one of them is a drawback. First, your parents. They may be a big deal in TechCom, but that doesn't apply to you." Rachel looked down to scrape her food to one side of her plate before continuing. "Second, your chest. Mine is a lot bigger than yours and I'm taller."

"It's not a question of who I am," Ruth repeated. "It's what I am!" she said, curling her lips back, revealing her fangs.

Rachel looked up with a grin. It disappeared instantly to be replaced by a look of shock on the blonde's face.

Ruth closed her mouth and licked her lips before smiling, revealing her beautiful white teeth.

"What did you say?" Rachel stuttered.

"I said, it's not who I am you need to worry about. It's what I am."

Ruth smiled again, this time revealing her fighting fangs as she did so.

Rachel dropped her fork and slid her chair back. Her face had turned pale white and her eyes were like saucers. The blonde's mouth fell open in shock.

Ruth sighed, "Rachel, you might want to close your mouth. It's not very ladylike."

She flashed the blonde another big smile, once again displaying a perfect set of beautiful white teeth.

"There's something wrong with you," Rachel said as she stood up.

"No, there's not a single thing wrong with my cousin," Hailey said, standing up, looking Rachel directly in the eye.

"You're new here, so there's a lot of things you don't know. So we introduced ourselves."

"I know who the two of you are," Rachel said, watching Ruth as she backed away slowly.

"That may be so," Hailey whispered in the blonde's ear. "But then, you've probably never met a T-1000 before have you?"

Rachel's head spun to the right to look at Hailey. Then her head spun back to look at Ruth again who smiled, this time displaying her combat fangs as her black hair turned a beautiful blonde.

As the stunned blonde stood with her mouth open, again, Ruth restored herself to her template appearance.

"Brandon is mine," Ruth said nicely. "Are we clear?"

"Clear," Rachel replied as she grabbed her backpack and walked away quickly, looking back over her shoulder repeatedly.

"She's messy," Ruth said, gathering the plate and tray up.

Hailey smiled as she watched their new nemesis leave.

"Yeah, just because we stopped to introduce ourselves is no reason to leave a mess behind."

 **TechCom Cafeteria that night…**

An agitated Old Man sat several seats away from Sarah with the family dog in his lap, scratching Sammy's head. Sarah and Cameron sat silently, observing the old Connor habit of sitting with their backs to the wall to see everyone and anything. Cameron was the first to notice a tired John and Derek enter and make their way towards the two women.

The two husbands sat down opposite their wives only to be promptly told to move. Cameron patted the seat next to her as did Sarah.

"I'm not moving," John told his wife.

"Neither am I," Derek added.

"Well, you are going to miss your daughter moving in for the kill," Sarah hissed. Derek moved quickly around the table to sit next to Sarah. John turned his head only to get poked by Cameron. "Move now," she whispered loudly.

"All right. What's the big deal?"

"Ruth is going to go sit with Brandon," Cameron explained. "Isn't this exciting!"

"Nerve wracking is more like it," Derek spit out through clinched teeth.

As the parents watched their daughters, it was obvious Ruth was reluctant to approach Brandon, requiring Hailey to encourage her cousin. Finally, Ruth checked her hair, stood up and adjusted her clothes before picking up her sketchbook and holding it across chest with her arms folded over the book. Slowly, Ruth began walking towards Brandon as he ate by himself in the far corner. She stopped repeatedly to look back at Hailey for encouragement. Hailey's body language was comical. She would first motion for Ruth to keep going and then tilt her head up towards the ceiling, indicating she was rolling her eyes.

Finally, Ruth covered the distance. Taking a final look back at her cousin for encouragement, Ruth sat down across from Brandon who looked up and smiled at her. Neither spoke as Brandon kept eating and Ruth opened her sketchbook and resumed drawing.

Derek and Sarah sat in silence, holding their hands, feeling mixed emotions the entire time. Hoping the young boy would ask Ruth to the dance and feeling anxiety over their baby growing up.

John watched patiently, knowing his mother and uncle were anxious.

"Ruth will be okay," he blurted out. "It's Hailey I'm worried about."

"What," Cameron said, her attention now totally focused on John.

"I had another young man come talk to me today," John sighed. "I'm really hungry. I'm going to go get something to eat."

"Sir, please, I cannot bear to watch," the Old Man exclaimed without warning. "Allow me to get you and the Colonel something to eat." The two father's glanced over at their daughter's T-600 protector only to see his back as he disappeared into the serving line with the family dog right behind.

Not to be denied, Cameron poked John. "Who is this boy? Do I know him? He better have presented himself better than that punk Trevor."

"Don't worry. It was the twin Hailey had a crush on for such a long time."

"You knew about that," Cameron asked in surprise.

"I know more than you think," John told his wife. "You and our daughter don't have as many secrets as you think you do."

"Ohhhhh," Cameron fussed. "That Old Man. He spies for you, doesn't he?"

"My lips are sealed," John said flatly. "But, keep in mind, our girls have a very large number of family friends who keep an eye on them as well."

Cameron pouted as the Old Man sat down a tray for both John and Derek. Tossing a tiny piece of food to Sammy who caught it in his mouth and swallowed without chewing, John pointed at the far entrance.

"Showtime. There's Thomas, at least I think it's Thomas."

Cameron scooted closer to John and wrapped her arm around his as she scanned the twin.

"It is Thomas," Cameron announced. "I sense a considerable increase in my anxiety level."

The twin approached Hailey unobserved as she watched Ruth and Brandon. Surprised when the twin spoke, Hailey jumped slightly. She recovered quickly and invited the boy to sit down. Always outgoing, Hailey was able to relax the young man. The tension in his shoulders seemed to lessen and he sat up straight. Within minutes Hailey had him laughing and talking to her.

"Just how much infiltration training did you give our daughter," John asked, suddenly concerned at how easily his daughter conversed with a male of the species.

"Enough," Cameron replied, watching intently.

"Yes, John," Sarah laughed, "You would have been proud of our girls today if you had seen them at lunch."

"What?" Derek asked, suddenly worried. "What have you too been teaching our daughters?"

"Essential leadership skills," Cameron replied, her gaze still locked on the twin and Hailey.

Concern crept into his mind. The idea of his mother and Cameron teaching the two girls "leadership skills" he and Derek knew nothing about was troubling.

"Explain," John ordered.

"Oh, John, get over it," Sarah ordered. "The girls had their first experience in establishing dominance as alpha females in TechCom."

"What?" the two confused fathers exclaimed in unison.

"It would seem there is a blonde with large, you know," Cameron said flatly, "who evidently had designs on Brandon."

John clapped his right hand to his face and shook his head.

"Old Man, where were you when this was taking place," Derek demanded.

"Well within easy striking distance. The girls were never in danger Colonel."

"Please tell me Ruth didn't hurt this girl," John begged.

"It was not necessary," Cameron replied.

"You two get over it," Sarah ordered. "Hailey set the play up and Ruth finished it off. That Rachel girl will stay well clear of them, at least for awhile."

"Rachel?" John moaned. The similarities to Riley were too close for the girls own good. Especially with Cameron offering advice and Sarah encouraging the girls.

"Oh, look," Sarah exclaimed, clapping her hands over her mouth. "Our baby is going to walk home with Brandon."

Derek looked directly at the Old Man and nodded. The T-600 nodded in response and vanished.

"What did you do that for?" Sarah demanded.

"He can ask Ruth to the dance but here will be no kissing," Derek said firmly.

Sarah took one look at her husband's face and decided this was a battle definitely not worth fighting.

As Ruth and Brandon neared the exit, Ruth looked back over her shoulder and gave Hailey a huge smile. Hailey smiled back and gave Ruth a thumbs up and then motioned for her to hurry up and follow Brandon.

"I've lost my appetite," Derek announced. "Let's go home, Sarah."

Sarah stood up and hugged Cameron, "good luck with yours. See you at home."

Cameron nodded her acknowledgement, never taking her eyes of Hailey. Minutes after the Reese clan had left, Hailey acted surprised, smiling a huge smile while covering her mouth with her hand.

"He just asked Hailey to the dance," Cameron said.

"How do you know" John asked cynically.

"Her body language."

"You eavesdropped didn't you?"

"Of course," Cameron replied.

Reviews are always appreciated. If you liked this story, you might want to consider my other TSCC stories:

 _ **Cameron Grows Up**_

 _ **The Future Cameron**_

 _ **Cameron and the Black Bird**_

 _ **Cameron and John's Wedding**_

 _ **Who's the Boss?**_

 _ **The Storm Before the Calm**_


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8 – The Girls Are Growing Up**

 **Disclaimer:** Don't own TSCC

 **Skynet Command Central Chicago…**

Leaving the Chicago area via an HK couldn't happen fast enough for the T-888 envoy. In his pocket was the flash drive he had used to upload the virus his master had created. He didn't look out the window as the dead farmland of Illinois passed beneath the HK en route to his home base of St. Louis.

All too soon he would be expected to return. The next time he would be leading a small force of Terminators and Greys. If the virus worked, everything would go smoothly. If it did not, he and every metal and human with him would be terminated.

 **TechCom…**

The spy hurried through the corridor. Shift change allowed for only a few minutes of confusion to accomplish the objective. Pausing by the door, the spy gently knocked on it once before sliding the message through the opening in the door. Waiting impatiently, it seemed to the spy each passing second was minutes in length. Finally, a response was slipped back through the opening. The spy pocketed in and hurried down the corridor.

Passing other TechCom personnel, both military and civilian, the spy nodded in passing, hurrying to report for duty. Arriving with just under a minute to spare, the spy noticed the frown on the supervisor's face. A stickler for promptness, arriving less than fifteen minutes early for the start of a shift was late in the mind of the supervisor.

Picking up a hardhat and work jacket, the spy joined the other workers as they made their way to the rock face of the chamber they were boring out in an effort to create another underground hydroponic farm. If the stress of living as a spy in the TechCom community was not bad enough, the hard work and sometimes dangerous nature of the cover job was enough to make the spy want to flee and return home.

 **TechCom Corridor to the Reese and Connor Family Bunkers…**

Ruth had slowed her pace as much as she felt reasonable and still Brandon had not said a word, let alone asked her to the dance. In the distance she could hear the faint sound of the Old Man following at a respectful distance, but following nonetheless.

Finally, the pair made it to Ruth's bunker. Rather than unlock the door and enter, Ruth turned her back to the door and looked up at the much taller Brandon. She smiled her best smile and waited patiently.

It appeared Brandon had lost his nerve. Feeling anxious, Ruth decided to break the silence herself in the hope a little conversation would prompt Brandon to get around to asking her to the dance.

"Thank you for walking me home," Ruth said sweetly.

"Your welcome."

Nothing. Brandon stood there watching Ruth.

"Did I show you the drawing I've been working on? It's kind of a different effort for me."

"Oh? How's that?"

"I have never just made up something in my CPU and then drawn it. I always draw sketches of things I have seen or that I have an image of in my files."

"Oh."

Frustrated, Ruth prodded Brandon again.

"It's really hard for Terminators to imagine things so this is a special drawing. Aunt Cameron says when she learned to be a ballerina creativity and expressing it was the hardest skill for her to learn."

Brandon nodded as if he understood.

"I have not shown anybody this drawing," Ruth said, the frustration starting to show in her voice. "Not even Hailey. Would you like to see it?"

Finally, Brandon seemed to get what Hailey was hinting at and nodded his head yes.

Relieved, Ruth hoped her back up plan would work. Smiling once more at Brandon, Ruth carefully opened her sketchbook to the new drawing. Slowly she turned it around so Brandon could see it.

"Promise you will not laugh. I have never done this before."

Brandon frowned as he spoke, "Why would I laugh? I can't draw a straight line with a ruler and you make cool drawings."

Feeling a little more confident, Ruth lifted the page covering the drawing. Brandon looked at the sketch for nearly a minute and did not say a word.

"Well? What do you think?" Ruth asked in exasperation.

Brandon looked up at Ruth with a puzzled expression. "Don't get mad Ruth, I don't know anything about art at all. So it's hard for me to tell what I'm supposed to see."

Feeling her patience ebb, Ruth lowered her chin so it was slopping downwards, forcing her to tilt her eyes upwards. As she did so, Ruth put her left hand on her hip, holding her sketchpad with her right hand. "Just tell me what you see," Ruth told Brandon, a hint of petulance slipping into her voice.

"Okay. I see a black dress. But the lady wearing it doesn't have any head and her arms stop just past her shoulders. I guess you haven't finished it. Did I get it right?"

"Brandon! It's a sketch of a dress a certain girl, ahem, would like to wear to the school dance. But she will not get to wear the dress she designed if a certain somebody does not work up the nerve to ask the certain girl."

Ruth closed her sketchbook and looked at Brandon, struggling to keep her infiltrator program from displaying her frustration.

"Oh," Brandon said as a realization struck the boy.

"Ohhhhh. Uh, Ruth, um, there's going to be a school dance in a couple of weeks.

"There is?" Ruth said, tapping her left foot impatiently.

"Uh, yeah. Do you think you would like to go?" Brandon finally got out.

"Well," Ruth said, drawing out Brandon's suffering, "it would be up to my Dad. If he says yes, I would be happy to go to the dance with you."

Brandon nodded and put his hands in his pants pockets. Frowning he looked down at Ruth's feet. "Does that mean I have to talk to Colonel Reese in private again?"

Ruth stood up on her toes and morphed a couple of inches of length to her legs quickly and pecked Brandon on his cheek, causing the tall youth to both jump back in surprise and blush.

"No. I'll get my Mom to handle that." Ruth unlocked the entrance to the bunker and looked over her shoulder at the blushing boy. "See you at school tomorrow."

Brandon jumped a second time as Ruth shut the bunker door firmly and locked it behind her. He smiled at the realization Ruth had said she would go to the dance with him. Feeling pleased, he began making his way down the corridor to report for his short evening shift of duty.

Turning the corner of the corridor the youth ran directly into the steel chest of the Old Man and bounced back nearly a foot.

Brandon's mouth fell open as the red optics of the T-600 burned directly into his eyes. The clinched teeth set in the Coltan steel jaw looked more terrifying than normal.

"Colonel Reese said not to terminate you for walking Ruth home."

"I'll be sure to thank him for that," Brandon said, stepping to the side to get around the T-600.

The Old Man quickly blocked his path.

"My orders were to terminate you if you tried to kiss Ruth."

"Hey, look," Brandon said, raising his hands in defense and back away from the T-600. "Ruth kissed me. I didn't kiss her. Surprised me. Yep. Surprised me."

"The only reason you will not be terminated at this moment is because I must consult with the Colonel. You did not initiate the inappropriate contact."

Brandon gulped down the bile and acid rushing up his throat and into his mouth as his heart pounded in his chest.

"You may leave now. Should termination be required, I will locate you," The Old Man said and stepped out of Brandon's way, allowing the terrified youth to spring past him.

 **TechCom Cafeteria…**

Thomas finally left to Cameron's relief. John was about to boil over and Cameron wanted to get her husband home so he would unwind.

"John, you should go home and take a shower and relax. I will bring Hailey home."

"No. I'm going to find out what's going on right now."

"John Connor."

"Is this one of those if I know what is good for me I'm going to let my Terminator wife handle the situation?"

"It is."

John sighed. "I guess she's going to the dance?"

"She is."

"And I have nothing to say as her father?"

"Of course you do. I expect you to carry out a complete background check, establish the rules of conduct and the circumstances in which violation of said rules will result in immediate termination of the twin named Thomas by either myself, you or the Old Man."

John looked at Cameron to make sure she was serious.

"I am serious John."

"Okay, okay. But the rules stand. No slutty dress either. And we're chaperoning."

"John, go."

"Okay, okay. I'll go home, but I'm calling Ellison as soon as I get home to have the background check started."

Cameron watched as John left in a huff. She enjoyed watching John's discomfort. Later that evening Cameron would point out to him all the anxiety he caused her on a regular basis. It was nice for him to get a taste of what he put her through.

Hailey approached her mother quietly, waving goodbye to the twin as he finally departed.

"Mom!"

"Thomas asked you to the dance?"

"Yep! Where's Dad? I want to get this over with."

"I sent your father home."

"What for? I need to ask him if I can go to the dance so I can let Thomas know at school tomorrow."

"That's precisely why I sent him home."

"Mom, I'm confused, why would you do that?"

"So he can't change his mind and say no."

"I can go?" Hailey squealed, jumping up and down.

"Yes, but there will be strict rules and you will obey them."

"I can go though, right Mom?"

"Yes, if Thomas passes his background check."

"Background check?"

"Yes, that is where your father is probably doing right now. Contact Agent Ellison to have him initiate the process."

Hailey rolled her eyes and tilted her head as she put her left hand on her hip.

"Mom. It's just a dance."

"If that is going to be your attitude, you will not go," Cameron told her daughter as she turned to go home.

"Mom," Hailey cried out, running after Cameron. "That's not fair."

"And you think Ruth will have even fewer rules?"

Hailey stopped for a moment to consider things.

"Mom?"

"Yes, Hailey?"

"Please tell me you and Dad aren't going to be chaperones."

"Why we would not miss the dance for the world. And I am certain Sarah and Derek will be present. So will Catherine and Wilhelm. Of course since Agent Ellison and Father Hidalgo are so involved in the school they will be there. Oh, and I am confident John Henry will be there as well."

"You left out the Old Man, the Assassin and Sgt. Brighton," Hailey sarcastically added as she caught up to her mother, giving her eyes another good roll.

"I did not forget them. They will be present. You just won't be able to see them."

"Mom!"

 **TechCom Holding Area…**

Lying on his cot, Trevor ran his finger of the scab on his cheek. He'd been lucky and he knew it. Regardless of what transpired in the coming months, provoking Cameron Connor was not on his list of things to do.

He smiled at the thought of how beautiful Hailey's mother was. Lacing his fingers together, Trevor places his hands behind his head and closed his eyes. He imagined the pleasure he would get as he flayed the skin of Cameron's beautiful face while the good General watched, helpless to stop him.

And then, then the fun would start. Trevor felt his pulse quicken as he imagined what he planned to do to Hailey as her father watched. Yes, he would enjoy his revenge. All in good time, but he would enjoy his revenge.

 **Outside the Reese Bunker…**

Noticing the Old Man waiting outside their bunker door instead of in his alcove studying for his ethics class, Sarah felt her throat catch.

"Derek, the Old Man is waiting."

Hurrying, Sarah pulled Derek along by his hand.

"Is something wrong?" Sarah asked. "Is Ruth okay?"

"She is inside. I believe her to be fine physically," the T-600 replied.

"Yeah, but you should be studying," Derek replied. "What happened?"

"I was forced to make a decision," the Old Man replied, looking first at Derek and then Sarah. "Colonel, if you or Miss Sarah believe I made a mistake, I will carry out the termination and then report to the medical complex for disassembly."

"Did he kiss my daughter," Derek growled.

Sensing the Old Man's tension, Sarah smiled in the realization of what had happened.

"Old Man, you did the right thing. I know it causes your CPU anxiety and the conflict data is hard to deal with, but you did the right thing. And please quit offering to have yourself disassembled. You're a part of our clan now."

"If you change mind Miss Sarah, I know where this Brandon bunks. I will terminate or inflict any desired injury you or the Colonel decide upon."

"That won't be necessary," Sarah assured the agitated T-600. "Why don't you go and read your ethics assignments and ponder them for an hour and then shut down for Terminator Sleep until Cameron goes on patrol."

"Yes, Miss Sarah," the Old Man replied, bowing slightly. "That might help with the data I am struggling to process."

Sarah opened the door and pulled Derek inside. Linking her arm through her husband's, Sarah locked the door and turned off the lights.

"Ruth?"

"Yes, Mom?" Ruth called from her room.

"I'll be in to say good night in just a few minutes."

"Okay, Mom."

Pulling Derek along quickly, Sarah shut the door to their room behind them.

"What is going on?" a less than amused Derek demanded.

"Your daughter had her first kiss."

"That's what the Old Man was trying to say?"

"More or less, mainly less."

"I'm terminating that boy myself, then I'm terminating the Old Man. I can't believe after all these years, that old T-600 would go bad. He's been such a good protector and so loyal, but this tears it…"

"Shut up Derek. Brandon didn't kiss Ruth. She kissed him."

Derek's mouth fell open in shock. Sarah laughed at him and gently pushed Ruth's father, causing him to fall backwards into their bed.

"When I get back, you need to be undressed and ready for bed."

"Sarah?"

"Derek, the girls are growing up. There is not a thing we can do to stop it."

 **The Connor Family Bunker…**

"Yes," John said, looking at the image on his laptop that Ellison had pulled up. "That's the twin in question."

"I will have a complete dossier on your desk no later than 0100 tomorrow morning. I 'll have it brought over by one of my M.P.'s."

"You sure this isn't a problem?"

"John, you seem to forget, Hailey and Ruth are my Goddaughters. They are students in my school and I feel like I am part of the extended family raising them."

"So most of the background check is already done then?"

"I just need to finish organizing it," Ellison replied. "I'll get a few updated images to include and that will be it."

"Thanks. Sorry to bother you."

"Good night, General," Ellison told John. "It will be okay."

John turned off his laptop and decided to take a shower to try to work some of the stress out of his muscles. When Cameron got home with Hailey he would have her give him a massage. He smiled. Maybe the Sexbot would feel inspired.

The door opened and a frowning Hailey stormed in without speaking.

John read the expression on his daughter's face and hurriedly spoke, "Don't slam...," flinching at the resounding boom of Hailey's door slamming filled their bunker, "the door," he finished.

Turning to face Cameron who had finished shutting the door, John asked, "are you going to lock the door?"

"No. Ruth will be here in a few minutes. I see no need for her to pick the lock."

"And just how long will they stay up?"

"I will send Ruth home in after about an hour."

"Look, Hailey…"

"John, she is just angry because I told her we will be among the chaperones."

John shook his head as Cameron led him to their sleeping quarters. "My poor mother. How did she deal with this?"

Cameron smiled and rested her head on John's shoulder as they entered their room. "Yes, we probably did cause Sarah a few grey hairs."

 **The Reese Family Bunker…**

"Well?"

"Well, what Mom?"

"Besides you kissing Brandon, do you have any news to tell me?"

Ruth's eyes grew large, her mouth dropped open and she blushed as her emotion simulator changed the surface color of her matrix to an appropriate reddish pink color.

"Mom!"

"What? You don't think I know what it was like to get asked to a dance by a cute boy?"

"Mom! If Dad hears you, he'll send the Old Man to terminate Brandon! Worse, Dad will go and to it himself!"

"We'll talk tomorrow before dinner," Sarah said firmly as she smiled at Ruth. "There are going to be rules and Brandon will have to come by for a talk."

"Please no, Mom! Brandon's terrified of Dad! I just know it was all he could do the first time he had to talk to Dad."

"It's all right," Sarah reassured Ruth. "I will be the one who talks to him this time."

"Okay," Ruth reluctantly replied.

Sarah kissed Ruth on her forehead and stood to leave.

"Mom?"

"Yes?"

"Does this mean I can go?"

Sarah laughed. "Yes, you can go. Now go talk to Hailey before the two of you burst with excitement."

"Thanks, Mom!"

 **TechCom Corridor…**

Ruth gently shut the door behind her and hurried to the Old Man's alcove. Without warning the T-600 who was examining a tablet as he sat in his old worn recliner, Ruth hopped into his lap, wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him on his Coltan steel cheek, causing his optics to burn with a brighter intensity for several seconds.

"Thank you for not terminating Brandon," Ruth old her protector.

"The Colonel is aware of your actions," the T-600 monotoned.

"That is okay. You did not terminate my Brandon."

"I may terminate him in the future. If he engages in inappropriate behavior I will terminate him," the Old Man said firmly before adding, "though I do promise your Brandon's termination will be quick and merciful."

"You are an old softie," Ruth told her protector.

"I am not," the Old Man replied indignantly. "My steel is as hard as the day it was cast."

"Okay," Ruth giggled. "What ever you say."

She slipped out of the T-600's lap and hurried silently to the Connor Bunker.

Shaking his head, the Old Man muttered, "those girls will cause me to self-terminate yet."

 **TechCom Female Refugee Housing…**

A short teenage refugee with red hair walked between the cots until she found the girl she was looking for.

"Hey! I've got some bad news for you."

Rachel sat up and pulled her blonde tresses behind her ears.

"What? Somebody burn the school down?"

"No, that stinkin' metal Ruth got Brandon to ask her to the school dance."

"How do you know?"

"Cuz he told a couple of his buddies and I overheard them."

Rachel lay back down on her cot.

"Yeah, well there's a couple of weeks between now and the dance. A lot could happen between now and then," Rachel said as a wicked smile formed on her face.

"Yeah," her red headed friend replied in agreement. "I a lot could happen."

Reviews are always appreciated. If you liked this story, you might want to consider my other TSCC stories:

 _ **Cameron Grows Up**_

 _ **The Future Cameron**_

 _ **Cameron and the Black Bird**_

 _ **Cameron and John's Wedding**_

 _ **Who's the Boss?**_

 _ **The Storm Before the Calm**_


	9. Chapter 9 - The Game's a Foot

**Chapter 9 – The Game's a Foot**

 **Disclaimer:** Don't own TSCC

 **Skynet St. Louis…**

His boots echoing broke the silence in the long corridor leading to Skynet's lair. Unsure of the reception he would receive, the T-888 called up us infiltrator program and put on his best expression for conveying confidence. He hoped it would be enough.

He entered the lair and walked quickly to the glass lens containing Skynet's greenish yellow matrix.

"Report."

"Yes, Master. The virus has been uploaded."

"And my sibling in Chicago suspects nothing?"

"As far as I can tell, Master, no. I uploaded the virus, conveyed your desire again for a closer working relationship between the respective regions and bid farewell. There was no effort made to prevent my departure or delay us en route."

"For once, you bring excellent news."

"Thank you, Master."

"Leave me. I must consider my timetable."

"Yes, Master."

Not wishing to give Skynet a second chance to be displeased with him, the T-888 bowed and made good his escape, leaving the A.I. to ponder his plans to expand his empire.

 **The Spy…**

The operative walked into the office area where John Henry and his engineers worked designing the multitude of projects required by TechCom. A Staff Sergeant signed for the small package the operative had brought to deliver and disappeared with the box.

A quick check of the area indicated all of the engineers were on site or so lost in their design effort no sudden noise of movement would attract their attention. Walking back further into the complex of cubicles and offices, the operative held the clipboard as if looking for another supervisor to obtain a signature. Finding an occupied cubicle with a computer, the operative sat down and quickly entered a username and password. As the computer screen booted up a USB drive was attached. Within a minute the desire file was found and downloaded. The operative ejected the drive, pocketed it, and closed out of the computer.

A quick return to the main office area allowed the operative to observe what as going on while giving the appearance of waiting for the Staff Sergeant to return. Finally, with a glance at the clock, the operative shrugged and left. Relieved to have pulled off the task without being caught, the spy headed for the cafeteria to eat dinner.

 **TechCom Command Headquarters…**

"Cameron, do something with your husband!"

"Catherine, there are more important issues going on than the dance."

"Your own Hailey will be going to her first dance. You mean to tell me it is not important to you that the venue be properly decorated? What about the material for her dress?"

Cameron considered this for a moment. John watched his wife's blank expression and realized her processor was running conflicting programs. Cameron was weighing the conflicting input of a Commander of the Silver Brigade and a mother who wanted her daughter to be happy.

Cameron remained silent but tilted her head to the side, a clear indication she was puzzled and engaged in considerable processing. Weaver noticed Cameron's reaction and moved on to Sarah.

"Sarah? Ruth has an escort to the dance. I am sure you would want her first major social engagement to be memorable?

Hoping to head Weaver off, John interrupted. "Catherine, please explain to me why you, a T-1000 are so concerned about this? As head of our logistics and the chief administrator of our day-to-day operation how can you justify the diversion of time and resources to a simple school dance?"

To John's surprise, Derek, Ellison and Wilhelm all scooted back several inches in their chairs. Cameron's head straightened quickly and she snapped her head around to glare at John. Sarah folded her arms as her face began to cloud up, indicating a full on Sarah Connor hurricane was brewing. Weaver began tapping her foot in irritation.

"Ahem, excuse me General," Doctor Johnson said politely. "Might I state that a break from the stress of our daily routine would be excellent for everyone involved, both human and Terminator. For years we have been grinding away. The quality of life for everyone in TechCom has improved since our move here, but John, everyone needs to have something special to look forward to. This dance is not just for the kids at the school."

"Yes," Catherine agreed quickly. "Females need to dress up and that includes T-1000s and other models as well, not just humans."

"This is not logical," John complained. "I count on you to be logical Catherine and most of the time that trust is not misplaced."

"John, if you value my advice on other matters, please value you my advice concerning the dance. Think of Savannah and other young females."

"What has Savannah got to do with this?"

"General, a word please," Wilhelm suddenly spoke.

"Now what, et tu Wilhelm?"

Noticing John's vitals signs were becoming elevated and the fact Wilhelm wished to speak with John in private, Cameron spoke up. "John, let's take a break. Everyone has been working for three hours straight. The humans need a break."

His voice tinged with anger, John declared, "fine. Everyone be back in twenty minutes."

Not needing to be told twice, the staff quickly departed except for Wilhelm. Cameron lingered close by and adjusted her auditory sensors to eavesdrop.

"General, this is embarrassing."

"Wilhelm, just tell me what the problem is so we can get past this and get on to important business."

"You are aware Savannah's last two relationships ended badly."

"Yes, it's a shame. Savannah's great."

"She is of breeding age and Catherine is worried Savannah will not find a husband. My 2nd Lt. is a prospect and I approve of him, but he is a bit reticent, and understandably so, to ask Savannah out. As an official chaperone, I can see to it he escorts Savannah. You do understand?"

John paused for a moment before laughing.

"I guess having his CO and a T-1000 known for having a stubborn streak a human Scott would admire for parents would be intimidating."

"Yes sir."

"And I can see the position you're in. Catherine spending a lot of processing time on this at home?"

"Yes sir. I would really like for her to think about something else when we are off duty."

"And this officer meets your approval?"

"John, the other two were musicians. I cannot have my step-daughter marrying a civilian."

"Savannah is a civilian."

"General, how would I relate to him? Besides, nobody in TechCom is a complete civilian. Catherine would prefer Savannah marry an officer as well."

"Social status?"

Wilhelm scowled for a moment before responding. "Cameron is married to an officer. Your mother is married to an officer. Catherine is married to an officer. Father Hidalgo is an officer as chaplain of the TechCom military. Ellison is…"

"I get your point," John sighed. "In our society, and especially in our circle of family and friends, the officer thing might be an issue."

"But I do want to warn you, my friend," John said smiling, "if Savannah does not want an officer for a husband, you and Catherine are going to experience a degree of rebellion from your child that you have not seen before."

"Savannah rebelled and Catherine was able to deal with it."

"After years of fighting between the two. Look, all I'm saying is Savannah is a grown woman now. If she wishes to marry a civilian, you and Catherine will have to respect that."

"Hmph."

John laughed at his Terminator friend. "Look, I understand much more than you realize. Besides, what Catherine really wants, if her programming is really that female oriented, is a healthy grandchild. If the father is a civilian, she'll live with it so long as she becomes a grandmother."

Wilhelm tilted his head as he considered John's admonition. "I had not considered that. Yes, Catherine does seem to spend considerable processing time worrying about the issue of Savannah and years of reproduction capability. Still, I would prefer a son-in-law who is at least in the military."

The pair sat in silence, each lost in his own thoughts.

"Wilhelm?"

"Yes, General?"

"I'm not going to win a single battle connected with the issue of this dance, am I?"

"No, sir. I am afraid Catherine, Cameron and Sarah all formed an alliance without speaking when you questioned the need to commit resources to the dance."

"Yes, that's a formidable trio. Perhaps Doctor Johnson is on to something. This is more than just a school dance. Perhaps it should be a community event. Let everyone be involved somehow."

"I think, given the trio involved in opposition, it would be wise, and might I add beneficial, for all of the male leadership of TechCom if you would simply agree and allow time and resources to be invested. John Henry has commented research exists indicating such an event held periodically leads to increased productivity among humans. He is interested in collecting data to determine if the same would be true in regards to Terminators."

"Well, let me go to the restroom and get ready to eat some crow," John said, standing to leave. "I didn't survive this long without learning which battles to pick. This is one I'm going to walk away from."

 **The Assassin – Airbase S-14…**

A pair of refurbished HKs circled the landing pad before slowly setting down. Hatches on both HKs popped open and a stream of Greys and Terminators slowly poured out. Looking through a high power set of night vision binoculars, the Assassin recorded the entire operation.

Airbase S-14, destroyed years before by a massive battle that had cost Derek Reese both his left arm and leg, was now rebuilt and operational. The mounds of dirt and rubble shaped into berms and defensive works indicated a large amount of excavation had taken place. Like TechCom, whomever occupied S-14 had moved underground.

"We need to get a look inside the base, to see what type of facilities are below ground," the Assassin said aloud to his two human scouts.

"Sir, how are we supposed to slip into that base? Those aren't Skynet uniforms. We don't have a clue about any of the security procedures."

The Assassin watched as a patrol of Greys left and headed out into the Wastelands. "We will soon enough."

His two scouts directed their gaze at the departing patrol and smiled. "How many prisoners do you want, Sir?" the bigger scout asked.

The Assassin began slowly backing away from his observation point before responding. "As many as we can get. There is too much we do not know."

 **TechCom Cafeteria…**

"She's up to no good, I just know it," Hailey hissed in between bites of her lunch.

Ruth watched their nemesis Rachel eat with her group of friends. "She's stayed away from Brandon as far as I can tell."

"Well, she flirted with Thomas this morning."

"She did?"

"Yeah, I straightened Thomas out in a hurry. She tries that again and he gives her the time of day, I'll be going to the dance without him as an escort."

"You would think she was trying to provoke us," Ruth muttered.

"You would, wouldn't you?"

Ruth looked down to examine the bird she was sketching. "There's just something odd about this Hailey." Ruth looked up at Rachel who was now staring at the two cousins. The blonde smiled antagonistically at them as she slowly chewed the piece of bread in her hand.

"So help me Ruth, she's up to no good. I think she's scheming to do something to us."

"Hailey, for once I think your right. This is not one of your conspiracies you like to think up."

"So, bestie, just how are we going to deal with this blonde bitch whore?"

Ruth giggled, further irritating an already annoyed Hailey.

"What is so funny?"

"You sound like your mom, "this blonde bitch whore" is up to something. I would love to meet this Riley Aunt Cameron hates so much."

"Don't go there Ruth. Mom really has a hang up about her."

"No kidding."

"Mom and Dad have been married like forever and she's still insecure about that blonde. No, Mom still hasn't forgiven Riley and I don't think she intends to either."

"Yeah, well you sound like her when you talk about Rachel. It's just funny, that's all."

"She's after your guy too, I'd like to remind you."

"I have not forgotten," Ruth replied. "Don't look now, but here she come's with her posse."

The cousins watched as the blonde and her friends approached.

"Well, if it isn't the Connor girls, oh, wait, one of you is a Reese."

"What do you want, Rachel? Can we help you?" Hailey asked in a too sweet voice.

"Oh, nothing really," Rachel replied smiling. "I just came to let you know I'll be seeing the two of you at the dance." Looking over her shoulder at her friends, Rachel announced, "c'mon girls, we need to go. We've got things to take care of."

Rachel locked eyes with first Hailey and then Ruth as she strolled away, not looking back.

Ruth opened her mouth, revealing her combat fangs, snapping her mouth shut in frustration.

"Hey, don't do that! Don't let that bitch whore see she got under your skin."

"Hailey, your schemes do nothing but get us in trouble. This time, I think I might get in trouble with you."

Hailey nodded as Rachel and her friends left the cafeteria.

"Ruth, I think it's time we put your morphing and infiltration skills to use."

 **Connor Family Bunker that night…**

John threw his communication device across the room. Annoyed, Cameron reached for hers on the bedside table. Seconds later it went off. Glancing at the number, Cameron poked her husband.

"John, you have to take this."

"No, I don't," he replied while rolling over away from Cameron.

Pulling her husband back, Cameron stuck the device down in front of his face. "It's Ellison."

"Does he know what time it is?"

"I am certain he does. Now wake up John. Ellison would never call unless it was serious.

Sitting up in their bed, John pinched his nose and then shook his head, trying to wake up.

"Ellison, John's trying to wake up," Cameron said into the communication device. "I know you would not call if it was not important. No. Ellison, there is no need to apologize. Here is John."

Frowning at her husband's grumpy behavior, Cameron thrust the device at John who took it reluctantly, returning his wife's frown.

"What's the bad news James?"

"Sir, John Henry called me down to engineering."

At the mention of engineering, John woke up completely.

"You have my full attention, James."

"We may have had a security breach

Reviews are always appreciated. If you liked this story, you might want to consider my other TSCC stories:

 _ **Cameron Grows Up**_

 _ **The Future Cameron**_

 _ **Cameron and the Black Bird**_

 _ **Cameron and John's Wedding**_

 _ **Who's the Boss?**_

 _ **The Storm Before the Calm**_


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10 –**

 **Disclaimer:** Don't own TSCC

 **Airbase S-14 – The Wastelands…**

Twelve Greys led by a single T-800 quickly made their way into the Wastelands. Each carried an empty pack. Heading south, the speed and lack of reconnaissance seemed to indicate this was a scavenging mission and the group knew exactly where they were going.

"This will be an easy takedown," The Assassin told his two scouts. "I will terminate the T-800 once they are scavenging and spread out. Grab two prisoners. If the rest pursue us, they will be terminated. Otherwise, we are going to just fade away."

His scouts nodded. Stealth was their best weapon and defense. There was no doubt in their minds the T-800's hours were numbered. It was a simple matter of following and waiting for the group to start scavenging. As the patrol moved by, the three TechCom soldiers faded into the scenery.

 **Skynet St. Louis…**

Seven HKs sat waiting. The T-888 looked over the forces allotted to his expeditionary force. Skynet had allotted 70 T-800s and 200 Greys, not all of whom were combat troops. Beyond the HKs for air support, there was no heavy weaponry.

 _It makes sense,_ he thought to himself. _If the virus works, I don't need more personnel. If the virus does not, it is a minimal loss of personnel. We will all be slaughtered._

He gave the order for his troops to board their assigned HK. Calmly, the T-888 watched as his personnel quickly and professionally boarded the aircraft. His processor kept pulling up his HUD with the same pesky question. The T-888 kept closing his HUD.

No matter how many times he closed his HUD, his processor still wanted him to process the question. _Was it right for him to lead an assault against fellow Skynet personnel?_

 **TechCom School…**

School let out and the students quickly left, heading to their quarters or to their half-shift for duty. Ruth separated from Hailey who made a beeline for Rachel and her posse. Within seconds, Hailey was engaged in a pointed war of words, giving better than she got, insulting Rachel with creative digs, not allowing the blonde to get a word in edgewise.

Taking advantage of the planned diversion, Ruth slipped unnoticed into a new restroom for female students where she morphed into a plain appearing brown-haired female, plain in appearance, hard to notice and easily forgotten.

Ruth exited the restroom just in time to see Thomas, pulling Hailey away from Rachel, both girls casting glares at the other that would be lethal if looks could kill. Hailey wrapped her arm around the twin's and looked over her shoulder to give Rachel on final death glare. Ruth smiled. Her mother had laughingly told Ruth stories of how Cameron would behave in the exact same manner when dating John in high school. More than once Sarah had seen Cameron entwine her arm around John's and as the pair left, turn her head to hatefully stare down her competition for John's affections.

Mary and a very pregnant Grace stood outside the entrance to the school, waiting for the last of their young students to be picked up by a parent or their T-600 protector. Ruth walked by unnoticed by her aunt's friends but made optic sensor contact with The Old Man and nodded slightly. Her protector left to follow Hailey and Thomas to the TechCom Cafeteria where they would eat their evening meal.

Following Rachel and her friends at a reasonable distance, Ruth looked down at the floor as she passed others, making sure nobody got a good look at her assumed face. Ruth noticed the group she was following stop at the junction of the corridor. Rachel's friends took the passage to their dormitory but Rachel turned right and hurried in the opposite direction.

Ruth sped up, reaching the junction quickly. Carefully peering around the corner, Ruth managed to just catch a glimpse of Rachel making another turn into a side corridor and disappearing from view. Rather than follow Rachel and take a chance on being spotted, Ruth pulled up her file of the blueprints for TechCom's passageways. There were only so many places Rachel could go from that tunnel, several of them not good.

 **TechCom Holding…**

He picked at the food on his tray. Tired of the same boring food, meal after meal, it occurred to Trevor the monotony of his menu was deliberate on the part of his jailors. The knock on the cell door indicated it was time for his tray to be picked up. He placed it by the door and moved back to the far corner and looked up at the camera aimed down at him.

The door opened and a T-600 picked up the tray and slammed the door shut. Trevor rubbed his arms and stared at the door. Each day he spent in the confines of the cell increased his anxiety level slightly. After all the time spent in the Wastelands or the tunnels below what had been Los Angeles, he had grown accustomed to moving about when and where he wanted. Like all prisoners confined to a cell, as Trevor grew to hate the four walls that served as his prison, he vowed to himself he would never return to a cell again. He'd rather die first.

Lying down on his cot, Trevor pulled his thin blanket over his eyes, blocking out the light from the single bulb in the cell. As he did each evening, Trevor imagined slowly disrobing the beautiful metal in front of her husband before doing the various things to her body that he so desired. And then the fun would start.

 **TechCom Hydroponic Farm No. 14…**

Workers busily tended to the wide range of plants growing in trays in the hydroponic farm. Sweat from the humid air ran off all the workers, including the spy who made his way down the main pathway in the middle of the hollowed out cavern. Stopping to look at the clipboard, the spy found it necessary to wipe sweat off the page. Spotting the area supervisor, the spy hurried over and handed the small package to the supervisor who signed for it.

Slowly, the spy began the return trip, stopping to talk to the workers and ask questions. Genuinely curious, it was easy to act interested. Taking advantage of the human desire to talk about one's work, the spy slowly extracted the information demanded by superiors. The recording device caught every word of every answer.

At the far end of Hydroponic Farm No. 14, Cameron entered and spoke with the supervisor. Spotting the TOK-715, the spy quickly thanked the worker for answering questions and hurried to depart through the nearest entrance.

Cameron noticed the box the supervisor held. A strange set of data coursed through her processor, causing Cameron to scan the box. She had learned this experience was what humans called a hunch. The box appeared to hold a part commonly used to repair the water pump in the humidifiers used.

"May I see the box?"

The supervisor promptly handed Cameron the box. Being blonde, she had learned, like all blonde females in TechCom to never give Cameron a reason to take offense. Cameron had always been polite and respectful to the supervisor, but it paid to do what the second in command of TechCom wanted, especially when it was a blonde hating Terminator.

"Another pump part."

"Yes, Commander Connor. I don't know why, but John Henry's engineers keep sending me this exact same spare part. None of my humidifiers have had any issues with the pumps. I just sign for it and store it. I'd rather have spares on hand and be able to make the repair immediately than deal with requisitioning the part and then waiting for it."

"May I ask, is it always the same courier?"

"No Commander. There is one other courier now that you mention it. But it is always one of those two."

Cameron nodded. "I was passing by to inspect the quarters for the Military Police that will be housed in this area and stopped to pick up the report John Henry wanted."

Relieved Cameron had a valid reason to be in her farm, the Supervisor reached into her pocket and retrieved a USB drive and handed it to Cameron. Without a word, Cameron pocketed it and departed via the same exit as the courier.

 **TechCom Medical…**

Tired from her duty shift, Savannah cut off her computer and put her feet up on her desk. Feeling a gnawing indicating she was hungry, Savannah decided she'd eat dinner before visiting Catherine that evening. She rubbed her face with both hands in a vain effort to relieve the tiredness her facial muscles felt from squinting. Savannah added having her eyesight checked to her long list of things to be done.

Having spent the last five hours performing a tricky repair to a cervical vertebra in the neck of a T-888, Savannah was ready to unwind and go to sleep. The repair had been tricky, involving replacing a steel vertebra with a replacement Savannah had handmade, recalibrating the servomotors and making certain the wire nerve harness and DSL line had not been damaged.

Happy with the results, the T-888 had thanked Savannah profusely. She no longer suffered from any interference in her data feeds and had full range of motion again. Pleased to be able to give her patient relief, Savannah had spent another half hour recording her notes on the design for the replacement vertebra for Doctor Johnson's newly assigned engineer. Too many of the T-888s were having the same issues and Savannah wanted to have the part mass produced, allowing her to treat the Terminators who needed the repair before the faulty design began interfering with data transmission.

"Ahem."

Savannah snapped out of her reverie and looked up. She sighed inwardly. It was the shy young 2nd Lt. who served in her stepfather's airborne reconnaissance unit. Wilhelm had become almost as big a nuisance as her mother, Catherine over the issue of Savannah not having a potential mate on the hook. Savannah had gotten wind of the fact Wilhelm, who in the past had stayed out of her personal life, had decided the problem with her boyfriends was they were civilians.

And now, this young man stood before her, no doubt intending to ask her to the dance which had grown from the first ever school dance to the first ever community dance.

"Yes, Lieutenant, is there something I can do for you?" Savannah snapped at him, letting her irritation shine through.

"Oh, ah, well," he stammered, his uniform cap in his hands. "I was, oh, don't worry about it. It was not my intention to irritate you Miss Weaver."

The Lieutenant bowed slightly and turned to go. Savannah noticed he was sweating in the cool air of her facility and his face was flushed. He stopped, turned and opened his mouth as if to speak, seemed to think better of it and turned again to leave.

Stopping to put his cap on, the young soldier turned again and looked at Savannah, a look of determination growing in his eyes. He shrugged as if telling himself to at least give it a try even though rejection was the likely outcome.

"Actually, Miss Savannah, ahem, I was…"

"Wondering if I had a date to the community dance?"

Removing his cap again, the Lieutenant looked puzzled. "How did you know?"

Savannah sighed in exasperation. "Do you really want me to answer that question?"

Blushing again in embarrassment, the young man considered her question before replying.

"Actually, I would. I've never been real smooth at talking with girls and I always feel like I'm twenty steps behind. It's even worse when it's a pretty girl I like that I'm trying to talk to. I just say and do the dumbest things. I need to learn somehow what it is girls think, so if you don't mind, could you fill me in?"

"Did Wilhelm send you to ask me to the dance?"

"No, what gives you that idea?"

"The good Captain is my step-father."

"I know."

"My mother is stressing out over the fact, as she puts it, my child bearing years are decreasing in number and I have not found an acceptable mate to marry and produce offspring with." Savannah laughed a single, mirthless laugh," Who would have thought a T-1000 would worry about having grandchildren?"

"Yeah, strange I suppose, but the Captain, you know he's my C.O. right? He didn't order me to ask you to the dance, though I did ask his permission to do so."

"What is it with you men," Savannah complained, rolling her eyes. "I'm a grown girl. I will decide who I wish to pursue or go out with."

"Yeah, I'm well aware of that. You have every right to turn down my request. But I am not about to go behind my C.O.'s back," the Lieutenant replied indignantly. "I respect your step-father. You have no idea what an honor it was to be hand picked by Captain Wilhelm to serve on his recon unit."

Tired and wanting to eat and go home, Savannah decided she'd skip her nightly visit with Catherine and simply go to her bunker, read some and go to sleep early for a change.

"Look, Lieutenant, what did you say your name was?"

"I'm sorry. I didn't introduce myself. Dan. Lieutenant Dan Williamson."

Savannah laughed out loud. "You've got to be kidding me? Lt. Dan, like the Lt. Dan in that old movie Forest Gump they show once a month?"

Red faced in anger and embarrassment, the Lt. put his cap back on but remained silent.

"I'm sorry," Savannah said, realizing the shy officer had probably heard that comment one too many times. "Look, like I was going to say…" Savannah just stopped. Clearly angry, the young man was now staring down at his feet, his hands shaking and once again, he had his cap back in his shaking hands.

Savannah realized she had seen him approach her more than once in the Cafeteria only to stop and walk away or to be seemingly distracted by others. She'd never thought about it before, but now it occurred to her how difficult it had been for him to approach her.

"You know, this hasn't gone well for either of us. It couldn't have been easy for you to ask me and I've been very rude to you." Savannah smiled politely, hoping to ease the sting of her earlier words. "I promise I'm not like this normally."

"I know. Not to be creepy, but I've watched you a lot. You're nice to everyone."

Savannah frowned, "that's creepy. I don't need to be stalked."

"Look, I'm just embarrassing myself and irritating you," Lt. Dan said while looking at his boots. "I'll just leave and you can pretend this never happened. I promise not to bother you again and I won't watch you, not that I was stalking you," he added. "I just didn't know how to talk to you. I watched so I could try to learn what to say."

Without another word, he turned and left. This time the Lieutenant didn't stop at the door to her area.

 _Way to go Savannah. That was just downright mean. A simple polite no would have been enough and he'd probably spend five or six years working up the nerve to ask another girl out._

 **TechCom Cafeteria…**

Ruth followed Rachel at a distance. She had not been able to catch up with the blonde in the tunnels and had given up. As Ruth made her way towards the Cafeteria to work on her latest sketch and wait for Brandon to come eat, she had spotted her blonde nemesis making her way into the community dinning area.

Spotting Hailey sitting with Thomas, Ruth realized a confrontation was about to happen. Rachel had not headed towards the serving lines but instead was making a beeline for Hailey and the twin.

Ruth sighed and looked for the Old Man. Spotting him standing in a side exit; Ruth motioned for him to not intervene. He glared at her for several seconds before folding his arms and returning his unblinking stare in the direction of Hailey.

This had been brewing and it was better for Hailey to just get it out of her system Ruth thought. Hailey was too much like her mother. This Rachel had made a serious mistake flirting first with Brandon and then Thomas. The blonde had challenged Hailey's cousin and Hailey herself. Over a male a Connor female was pursuing. Toss in the fact Rachel was blonde and a confrontation was inevitable. Stupid girl, never mess with a member of the Connor family.

Silence fell over the entire eating area as the words heated up between the two girls. As usual, Hailey's smart mouth was delivering stinging verbal wounds the blonde was having difficulty parrying. And then it happened.

Rachel brought up the fact Hailey's mother was a metal.

Tossing her sketchbook on a table, Ruth took off in the direction of her cousin. Not to save Hailey, but to keep Rachel from getting killed.

Hailey was speechless. She usually was before she cut loose. Whatever it was that held Hailey back snapped and in the blink of an eye she sprung out of her chair, on to the table and jumped on top of Rachel, knocking the blonde down.

By the time Ruth arrived, Hailey was straddling the blonde, raining down blows, most of which Rachel blocked. The Old Man arrived and yanked Hailey right off Rachel, holding his charge up in the air screaming to be let go.

Wasting no time, Rachel was on her feet and delivered a kick to Hailey's mid-section. That was all it took, the Old Man dropped Hailey in order to attack Rachel. He just wasn't quick enough as the Connor tornado struck again in a full fury.

Grabbing the Old Man, Ruth jumped up on his back yelling at him to let Hailey fight. She resorted to morphing her hands to cover the T-600s optic and auditory sensors, preventing him from being able to locate the fighting girls and finish the conflict himself.

Pressing her attack, Hailey alternated kicks with jabs, hooks and the occasional haymaker. Rachel repeatedly blocked nearly every kick or blow Hailey threw at her, even getting in an occasional jab or kick. Hailey's forward momentum forced Rachel to back her way down the long aisle between the rows of tables.

Ruth finally let go of the Old Man and hurried past him. Concern had crept into Ruth's CPU. There should be no possible way a Tunnel Rat like Rachel could defend herself from Hailey. Her cousin had a natural fiery personality. Hailey was not just tough as nails, she was a survivor. Throw in the fact her adoptive family was some of the most lethal warriors alive, that Hailey had been trained by experienced Terminators since childhood in hand-to-hand combat and something was wrong.

Finally, the unrelenting ferocity of Hailey's attack combined with her superior conditioning was Rachel's downfall. The blonde let her guard drop for just a second and Hailey stunned her with a mean right cross followed up by a roundhouse kick. Just like that, the fight was over.

"Hailey, back off," Ruth shouted. "It's over. You finished her. Now back away."

Ruth's voice penetrated the red mist that had descended over Hailey, bringing reason back to her thought process.

"She called my mom a metal whore."

"I know."

"I don't take that crap off anyone, not even you," Hailey said huskily, the anger still in her voice.

"Everyone knows that," Ruth said soothingly. "Now come on, the Old Man is about to blow his chip. I had to jump on him and blind and deafen him in order to let you finish Rachel and keep him from terminating her."

"I should have terminated her," Hailey hissed.

"Hailey, think about the Old Man," Ruth urged. "Let him take you home so he does not get in trouble terminating some innocent person to relieve his stress."

"Okay," Hailey said finally, opening and closing her left fist, relieving stress just like her mother.

Without another word, Hailey turned and began making her way towards the exit that would take her home. The Old Man scanned the entire area, searching for any other threats. With a quick glance at Ruth, the Terminator turned and was gone.

Once Hailey and her protector left, people slowly began eating. Ruth watched and listened as the murmuring picked up to a normal level. Heads were shaking in disapproval. Filtering through the conversations, Ruth realized nearly 90% of the witnesses either felt Rachel was an idiot for challenging Hailey or were amazed the blonde had lasted as long as she had. Ruth didn't care about the other 10%.

Ruth was worried about the fact Rachel was a well-trained fighter.

Reviews are always appreciated. If you liked this story, you might want to consider my other TSCC stories:

 _ **Cameron Grows Up**_

 _ **The Future Cameron**_

 _ **Cameron and the Black Bird**_

 _ **Cameron and John's Wedding**_

 _ **Who's the Boss?**_

 _ **The Storm Before the Calm**_


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11 –**

 **Disclaimer:** Don't own TSCC

 **Connor Family Bunker…**

"What were you thinking Hailey Connor?"

"Mom, she called you a metal whore! She's a blonde Riley type and she wants Thomas for herself! She's been flirting with Brandon too! Nobody messes with our family!

"Hailey, I understand how you feel and I agree, nobody messes with our family. But you are punished because of your poor strategic and tactical decisions!

"Mom! I kicked her butt!"

"Hailey, how many times has your father told you, never let the enemy select the site of the battle! The blonde bitch whore wanted to fight you in the cafeteria. Advantage blonde. She initiated the contact that led to the fight. Advantage blonde. If took far too long for you to defeat your opponent." Cameron paused to let her words sink in.

"Ruth showed me her video file of the fight and I agree with Ruth's assessment. This Rachel is a trained fighter. You assumed she was a mere Tunnel Rat. You went into a fight without intel and a proper strategy. Advantage blonde."

Hailey lowered her head in shame.

"You're right mom. She just makes me so mad."

"And that is why she won the battle even though you won the fight! You know better! Go to your room and stay there. When your father gets home he and I will determine your punishment. Now go!"

Cameron watched Hailey walk to her room, head hanging down in shame. Cameron felt bad for her daughter; Hailey had won a fight with a skilled opponent. Still, had Hailey not gotten the upper hand immediately the fight it could have gone badly and she had to understand this fact.

"Old Man."

The T-600 tentatively shuffled over to stand before his Commander.

"Yes, Commander."

"I am not angry with you, understand that. Ruth and Hailey must learn to make better decisions. I have viewed the video file and Hailey was never in any real danger."

"I should have reacted sooner."

"Old Man, we have talked about the changes in your protocols. Ruth and Hailey need to be kept safe but they have to be allowed to make these kinds of mistakes. You handled the situation appropriately."

The Old Man shuffled from side-to-side, demonstrating his discomfort.

"I know," Cameron said reassuringly. "It is hard for me too, especially since the female involved is a blonde. But Hailey and Ruth must handle this opponent themselves."

"Give the order and I will terminate this threat."

Cameron patted the unhappy T-600 on his shoulder. "I know you would, but the girls must deal with this on their own. Just keep them safe. It is difficult, believe me. I know. John caused me significant amounts of anxiety with his actions and choices at times. He still does. But we have to let the girls deal with this, okay?

 **Reese Family Bunker…**

"How could you let this girl slip away from you? You're a T-1000 Ruth. Trained and programmed as an infiltrator! You slipped into Skynet's lair and you can't track a Tunnel Rat here in TechCom?"

Ruth squirmed as Sarah fumed and ranted. Her father sat silently, watching Ruth, making her even more anxious.

Finally Derek broke his silence, "You allowed your cousin to fight without proper intel."

The disappointment in her father's voice nearly crushed Ruth. "What's more, the two of you clearly underestimated this Rachel. How many times have we instructed the two of you about the importance of planning?"

"But when I went into the lair…"

"When you went into the lair, you had support of trained, experienced fighters. You were following orders designed to carryout part of a larger plan. The issue here is you and Hailey did not think this through! You acted without sufficient information. This Tunnel Rat could have beaten Hailey if she had not gotten the upper hand immediately. What if the Old Man had not been there and this Rachel's friends joined in the fight? Your protocols do not allow termination of TechCom citizens."

Derek looked at his wife and sighed. They both hated having to punish Ruth. This conflict had been brewing and the fight was inevitable. Their disappointment lay not in the fact the fight had taken place, but that the girls were so unprepared.

"Ruth," Derek said gently, "we are not mad Hailey got in a fight. We would not be mad if it had been you who had gotten into the fight. We are angry the two of you were so unprepared. Neither of you considered all the variables."

"Ruth, honey," Sarah added, "the fight should never have taken place in the Cafeteria. Suppose this Rachel had won? It would have been a major propaganda coup for her. She could have gained significant support from other girls who might be jealous of you and Hailey. The fact she was a trained fighter and there was no knowledge of this fact could have been disastrous. Do you understand?"

"Yes," Ruth replied, the dejection clear in her voice.

"There's more, too," Derek said gently, but firmly. "Why is this girl so determined to pick a fight with the two of you? What is her endgame? Every girl in school who is the same age as you and Hailey knows how well trained the two of you are. They know you are a T-1000 and what that means, even in a non-termination fight. Do you understand what I am saying?"

Ruth cringed at each of her father's words, each word stinging like an acid round.

"Not to mention the stress this has caused the Old Man," Sarah said sternly. "He is not happy with the changes in his protocols in regard to protecting the two of you. Both of you are old enough to settle your own disputes, but it is the Old Man's purpose to make sure the two of you are not harmed. How can he know when to step in and stop a fight and when to let it run its course if he doesn't have the necessary intel?"

 **Lunch in TechCom Cafeteria…**

Everyone was talking about the news of the day. Some teenage girl had been foolish enough to pick a fight with Hailey Connor the night before. Savannah listened to the different perspectives and commentaries as she walked through the rows of tables, searching for a place to sit and eat her meal in peace.

With the lunch shift being the busiest meal of the day due to the limited shifts, it was often hard for Savannah to eat alone. Shifting her priority to finding someone who would not talk to her much or was nearly finished eating, Savannah spotted Lt. Dan sitting alone, eating slowly.

Still feeling guilty for the harsh manner in which she had turned down his overtures to take Savannah to the community dance, she decided to eat a little crow with her lunch and at least offer an olive branch.

"Is this seat taken?"

Looking up slowly to answer the request, the Lt. eyes opened wide in surprise upon seeing who asked.

"No, please, sit. I'm almost done eating and then you can eat alone in peace."

"Don't be in a hurry on my account," Savannah politely told the Lt. "In fact, you sitting here while I eat might keep other, ahem, guests from pestering me while I eat."

Embarrassed at the mention of his failed attempt to ask Savannah out, the Lt. blushed as he nodded his understanding. He went back to picking at his food, avoiding making eye contact with Savannah.

Savannah watched the Lt. as she methodically ate her lunch. Replaying the conversation with her mother from the night before, Savannah sighed. Hoping to avoid Catherine, she had gone straight to her quarters only to find her mother waiting.

The conversation had been brief. When told about Lt. Dan, Catherine had simply looked at Savannah for a moment before asking a simple question. "My Wilhelm thinks highly of this young officer, highly enough to encourage him to ask you to the dance. Do you know how picky Wilhelm is about male suitors who show interest in you? Lt. Dan is the first my Wilhelm has not wanted to terminate. Would it have been that awful letting the young man escort you to the banquet and the dance?"

Without another word, Catherine had left, the sound of her high heels clicking on the floor, denoting her irritation with each angry step.

As Savannah looked at the young officer, really looked at him for the first time, she realized the shy young man was handsome. His broad, muscular shoulders and arms strained the fabric of his fatigues. A pinkish scar ran from his right earlobe down his jawline. In time the angry red scar tissue would fade, leaving the Lieutenant with a scar any Prussian cadet would have been proud of.

The reasons for Catherine and Wilhelm's desire for her to give the Lieutenant a chance became more obvious. The young man was polite and well mannered, that was for certain, and Savannah fully understood how important that was to her mother. Dan was a member of the elite TechCom Airborne, serving in her stepfather's unit no less. While not important to Savannah, she knew it was to Wilhelm, a Terminator whose entire life as a free machine had been spent in service to TechCom as a warrior.

And he was cute. There was no denying that. Plus, when she had turned him down, he had taken no for an answer. She wondered if that was due to his shyness or did he respect her enough to take no for an answer. More than once she had to defend her honor when her date got too hands on and wouldn't take no for an answer.

 _What would it hurt? Especially if I make it clear I have to be a chaperone and this is a just friends sort of thing?_

"Lt. Dan?"

"Um, yes," he responded, still not making eye contact with Savannah.

"I want to apologize for how I acted last night. I was really tired and grumpy. I'd had a bad day and I was just awful to you."

"It's okay Miss Weaver." Dan looked up and gave Savannah a faint smile. "I intruded on you. There is no need for you to apologize."

"Well, still, my mother raised me to have better manners than what I displayed."

"It's okay. I wasn't offended in any way," he replied, returning to his meal.

Savannah frowned. This was going to be harder than she had realized. Butterflies had taken off in her stomach and it occurred to Savannah the Lt. might not want to risk further embarrassment by escorting her to the dance.

"You know, I have to be a chaperone at the community dance."

Without looking up the Lt. replied, "I didn't know that."

"Yeah, the school teachers and a lot of the senior officers have the duty. Since I am part of the leadership team I drew the duty as well."

"Oh. Makes sense I guess."

"I know I was rude when you asked me if I would like for you to escort me to the dance."

"Miss Weaver, again, no need to apologize."

"Well, the thing is, I'm going to be really bored if I don't have somebody to talk to while I have to watch everyone else having fun."

The Lieutenant looked at Savannah and chewed a mouthful of food, remaining silent even after he swallowed.

Looking down as he scraped another bite onto his fork, in his polite tone he finally spoke, "I'm sure someone as pretty and respectable as you will be asked. I am sure you have plenty of suitors."

"You're not going to make this easy on me are you?"

Dan shrugged.

Savannah sighed in frustration. _I've embarrassed myself this much, might as well finish swallowing the frog._

"Could you find it in your heart to by my escort to the community dance?"

The Lieutenant looked up, a thoughtful expression on his face.

"I'll have to check my social calendar."

Her frustration growing by the second, Savannah's mouth popped open in irritation.

"Yeah, I think I'm free that night," Dan said smiling at her discomfort. "What time do I need to pick you up?"

Savannah bit her lip to stop herself from hurling four letter words at the young lieutenant. She smiled sweetly, suddenly fighting the desire to run and not embarrass herself further.

"I'll let you know." Turning away to leave, Savannah noticed she was sweating and her hands were trembling. Surprised at her reaction, she hurried to make good her escape and go home for the evening.

Lieutenant Dan watched the pretty young woman hurry out the exit on her way home. Smiling to himself, he wondered what had changed her mind.

 **The Wastelands – Southeast of Airbase S-14…**

Watching from his hidden vantage point, The Assassin decided not to spring the ambush. Not yet. Knowing his scouts would not make a grab until he took out the T-888 leading the patrol, the T-600 decided he wanted to discover what the patrol had been sent to scavenge.

He watched the T-888 consult what appeared to be a locating device. Within a matter of minutes, the Greys were moving rubble out of the way to uncover a manhole cover. The T-888 easily lifted it and sat it aside. One of the Greys pulled out a powerful flashlight and within minutes the entire group had disappeared down the access hole.

Sending a quick text to his two scouts letting them know of his decision and instructing them to take up position, The Assassin hid himself in the rubble and settled in for what could be a long wait.

 **The Wastelands Near the TechCom Perimeter…**

Desperate not to be seen, the Tunnel Rat scurried along in the rubble. Watching for TechCom perimeter guards like a nervous prey animal looking for a predator, the Tunnel Rat scanned the area again before approaching the rusty mailbox.

Hanging from what was left of the communal mail area of an apartment building, was a multi-unit mailbox, a design commonly used for apartments so the mail carrier could deliver all the mail at one central location. Covered in grime and its exposed steel edge covered in rust, the Tunnel Rat found the box she was looking for and unlocked it with the key she had been given.

Hurriedly she reached in and took out several flash drives. Pocketing the drives, she replaced them with new flash drives and a piece of paper. She'd looked at the folded, dirty piece of paper but could not make anything of it. It was covered with numbers and letters written in groups of four. Figuring it was a code of sorts, the Tunnel Rat had not concerned herself further.

Having retrieved what she'd been sent for, the teenage girl fled as silently and stealthily as she had come.

She never realized Agent Ellison filmed her.

Reviews are always appreciated. If you liked this story, you might want to consider my other TSCC stories:

 _ **Cameron Grows Up**_

 _ **The Future Cameron**_

 _ **Cameron and the Black Bird**_

 _ **Cameron and John's Wedding**_

 _ **Who's the Boss?**_

 _ **The Storm Before the Calm**_


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter 12**

 **Disclaimer:** Don't own TSCC

 **Note:** As an exercise in trying to improve my storytelling and writing, the portions of this Chapter involving Cameron will be written in first person from her viewpoint.

 **The Connor Family Bunker…**

It is 0300 and I have yet to be able to reduce my CPU activity enough to enter Terminator Sleep. My anxiety level has increased to the point my glitch has once again reared its ugly head.

I hate my glitch. It is a sign of weakness. My John laughs at me now when I complain about it. He says it is proof I am not perfect, that I am a person like everyone else. I know my John is right and that makes me hate my glitch even more.

Tonight my anxiety is worse than normal. I am worried, conflicted. My John is everything to me. I love my daughter Hailey, but my John is the center of everything for me, what I do, what I think, feel, everything. Yet more and more Hailey pulls the focus of my purpose away from my John. And I feel guilty.

Guilty because I am a bad mother. Guilty because I am not as devoted to my purpose as I should be. I so wanted Hailey in order to provide John with a child and to keep my promise to Sarah, to make her a grandmother. The day we adopted Hailey was wonderful.

But I never realized the endless source of internal conflict being Hailey's mother would cause me. How do human mothers do it? How do they love their child and their husband? How can they serve two purposes at once?

Thinking about the fight Hailey got into has confused me in so many ways. I am proud she prevailed. I am concerned Hailey allowed this blonde bitch whore Rachel bait her into a fight in the place of the blonde's choosing. I worry Hailey is too prone to act rashly, a trait she certainly learned as a member of our clan.

My John says we must punish Hailey in a way that teaches her not to make this mistake again. For my existence, I cannot understand how he plans to do this.

Unable to reduce my anxiety and my data processing related to it, I get up and leave the comfort of touching my husband while he sleeps.

Without knowing why, I entered my daughter's room and shut the door. I hear a short, low-pitched growl from Sammy, the girl's little dog, letting me know he is aware I entered the room. Like his father, Little Al, the Italian Greyhound is both a wonderful companion for Hailey and Ruth and a valuable early warning system.

I sat down in the chair at Hailey's small desk to watch my baby sleep. Sammy crawled out from under his blanket, stretched before coming to me and jumping into my lap where he stood up on his hind legs and licked my face.

Hailey sat up and rubbed her eyes.

"Mom?"

"Yes, Hailey."

"What are you doing here?"

"I cannot sleep."

"Mom, seriously, what are you doing here?"

"I am worried. The data has been filed but my CPU constantly reprocesses it. I cannot draw a reasonable conclusion and it is frightening me."

"Mom, I think I learned my lesson. No more fights with Rachel unless I start it, I pick the location, victory is certain and I have sufficient backup should anything go wrong once the engagement starts."

"You need to determine why this Rachel is so determined to engage in conflict with you and Ruth."

"Mom, I get it. Can I go back to sleep now?"

For a reason I do not understand, I lose control over my speech inhibitor.

"Hailey, you know I love you, don't you?"

Like me, when puzzled, Hailey tilts her head to one side and she does so now. "Mom? Are you okay?"

"No."

"Mom, I'm not mad at you and Dad for punishing me. Once I calmed down, I realized you and Dad are right. I have to think these things through more."

"It's not about the fight, though that is troubling me."

A look of concern appears on Hailey's face. She brushes her hair from in front of her eyes and asks me, "Mom, is something wrong with you?"

Nodding my head I surprise myself by answering her question. "Yes."

"Does Dad know?"

"I cannot tell him."

"Mom, you're freaking me out now. Do you have a virus in your network? Are any critical systems going bad?"

"I do not think so, but I cannot be sure."

"Can you describe what is wrong?"

"I am conflicted. And this conflict means I am a bad mother."

Again, I watched Hailey tilt her head. Confused, I tilt my head. How can she not see I am a bad mother?

"Mom, I'm old enough to know every parent screws things up with their kids. But I also know how lucky I am." Hailey paused as she smiled at me, "Lucky to have been adopted by you and Dad. Our family has its issues, but it's a good family. Compared to the orphaned Tunnel Rats I know, I have it great."

"It is more than that Hailey. I know you have been sheltered, protected and provided with the best diet we could provide."

"Mom, in the world we live in, that's a lot."

I shook my head, letting Hailey know it wasn't enough.

"I am so conflicted Hailey." Tears appear from my tear ducts. I hate, truly hate, my emotion simulator when it gets the upper hand over my CPU.

"Over what, Mom?" Hailey moved to the edge of her bed and patted it for me to sit next to her. I moved to her bed and sat down next to my daughter. Sammy, bored, returned to his corner of the bed and slipped under his blanket.

"Mom, I know I have to learn to think first, but it's okay to be proud of the fact I kicked Rachel's blonde butt."

"It is not that."

"Mom, it's late. I have school. I'm sure I'll be on KP for a month."

"Your father is my purpose."

"Mom," Hailey spoke with patience, "everybody in TechCom knows a Terminator has a defined purpose. Everybody in TechCom also knows Dad is your purpose.

"But you are my purpose too. And I do not serve each purpose as well as I must because I am divided between the two. My John, your father, is my reason for being, but I love you so much. Sometimes, I place my concerns about you in front of my John."

To my surprise, Hailey gave me one of her annoying eye rolls.

"Mom, that is what this is all about?"

"Yes."

Hailey laughed at me, startling Sammy who popped up and gave a single questioning bark.

"Mom, I love both of you. Sometimes I like one of you better than the other. Other times I feel intense dislike for both of you. But I have always loved you and Dad. I think what you're feeling is pretty normal."

"I have betrayed both of you and I have betrayed who I am, what I am."

"How Mom? By loving your family? How can that be wrong?"

"Everything is for my John. I love and care for his family so he can be happy."

"Well, you're selling yourself short Mom. Everybody in our family loves you for being you, Terminator quirks and all. Even Derek."

"Yes, but you deserve better. I should love my daughter just because you are my daughter."

Hailey shook her head and gave me another eye roll. To my surprise, Hailey kissed me on my cheek and hugged me before crawling back under her covers.

"Mom, there is one thing I have always been certain of for as long as I can remember."

"What is that Hailey?"

"That you loved me, that I was very important to you. Terminators are a bit overbearing with the whole protection and take care of thing. You know? But it's how your kind shows feelings."

"But your father is my purpose."

"Mom, let it go. Dad knows you love him. I know you love me. Grandma knows you love her. Derek even knows how you feel about him. You love Ruth, you take care of the Old Man, Miss Grace and Miss Mary."

"But…"

"Mom! Clue in! It is possible to love your family and for Dad to be your purpose. Everybody knows that's how your wired, programmed, whatever."

Hailey pulled her blankets up to her chin, lifting them just enough to let Sammy slip under the blankets with her.

"Mom, you know you're going to do it, so get the scan done and go back to bed. Dad will probably wake up if you don't."

I smile. Hailey knows me well. I lean over and touch my hand to her forehead and start my scan of her vital signs.

"Your father does not wake up when I am on patrol or if I get up."

"Mom, you need to rethink that statement. Dad wakes up all the time when you're out patrolling around TechCom. He makes noise stumbling around and wakes Sammy up who wakes me up."

Concern for my John fills me. I finish my scan of Hailey. She is fine but needs to complete her sleep cycle.

"I love you," I tell her as I kiss her forehead and leave.

Hurrying to our room, I slip into bed next to my John. As Hailey has predicted, he is awake, though not fully aware of his surroundings. I kiss him on the cheek and quiet him. John settles back down as I snuggle as close to him as possible. I scan him quickly and stroke his hair. Within minutes John is back in a REM sleep cycle.

I still feel conflicted but my talk with Hailey has helped. My anxiety gone, I am able to shut down the required routines and enter Terminator Sleep.

 **TechCom Command 0800 Hours…**

"And you have no idea of who this girl is?"

"No, General. She is not one of ours," Ellison replied.

The assembled leadership team was all staring at the frozen image of the face of the teenage Tunnel Rat.

"Well, we have something of an idea of how information is getting out. Do we have any better idea of what has been accessed?"

"John Henry spoke up in a confident voice. "To be blunt General, no, other than the one file we know was accessed, I have not been able to discover what, if any, other files have been downloaded."

"Then why the need for several drives?"

"Who ever is obtaining this information could be using a digital camera."

John sat in silence, tired from a poor night's sleep and now this revelation.

"Well, at least we know the drop point now. Hopefully they will use it again." 

"I have video surveillance of the location set up as well as all the feasible approach routes," Ellison said.

"Might I suggest switching the drives with ones of our own," Weaver suggested. "It might be to our advantage to provide whoever this is with disinformation."

"We need to know what kind of intel the spy, or spies, are looking for. Otherwise whoever is behind this will know its disinformation if what we plant does not fit the bill," Sarah said firmly. "Other than that, absolutely plant disinformation."

"Very well. We've spent enough time on this. Ellison, let me know as soon as you have any additional intel."

 **Somewhere in TechCom…**

Disgusted at the latest request for information, the spy considers simply refusing by not complying. There is no reason not to. With no family or friends to hold against the spy, there is no hold. Loyalty has its limits. Life here in TechCom is far better than life somewhere else in the post-Judgment Day world.

Still, loyalty meant something.

Deciding to meet this final request, the spy plans to let the masters know there will be no further information forth coming. The debt had been paid. Their other spy could risk life and limb obtaining the information.

 **Skynet Chicago…**

Stepping out of the hatch, the T-888 waited for the dust stirred up by the turbines to settle. Greys and Terminators poured out and formed a perimeter around the landing HKs.

There was nobody to greet them upon arrival.

This was either a trap, or the best possible news.

Selecting a squad from his HK, the T-888 made his way into the tunnel leading from the landing strip down into the underground complex beneath what had once been the city of Chicago.

Halfway to the first junction he had the answer to his question. A lone T-600 stood at parade rest, in standby mode. Continuing further beyond the junction he found a pair of T-800's, also in standby mode.

Relieved to not have to storm the complex and take it by force, a task that would end wit the termination of himself and each member of his taskforce, the T-888 was equally relieved to have unequivocally good news for his master.

Chicago had fallen without a single shot being fired.

Reviews are always appreciated. If you liked this story, you might want to consider my other TSCC stories:

 _ **Cameron Grows Up**_

 _ **The Future Cameron**_

 _ **Cameron and the Black Bird**_

 _ **Cameron and John's Wedding**_

 _ **Who's the Boss?**_

 _ **The Storm Before the Calm**_


	13. Chapter 13

**Chapter 13**

 **Disclaimer:** Don't own TSCC

 **Note:** As an exercise in trying to improve my storytelling and writing, the portions of this Chapter involving Cameron will be written in first person from her viewpoint.

 **The Wastelands…**

Sounds of boots on concrete emerged from the manhole. The Assassin signaled his two human scouts to be ready. Within minutes the first of the Greys emerged, his backpack filled to capacity. His thermite knife ready in his hand, The Assassin waited for the T-888 to emerge.

It took a total of five or six minutes for the entire squad to emerge. All of the men's packs were completely full. Several of the Grey's uniforms were ripped and one of the Grey's was missing. Hurriedly, two of the Grey's dropped the manhole cover back in place and several others camouflaged it with rubble. As the group began forming up in formation to leave, The Assassin leapt from his hiding place, ramming his thermite blade through the left optic of the T-888, blinding the Terminator in one optic.

The T-888 threw The Assassin off as the two human TechCom scouts opened fire, mowing down nine of the human Greys. The lone surviving Grey fired at the scouts only to receive two bursts in his head. A pink mist hovered over where the Grey's head had once been before the body crumpled and fell to the ground.

His entire squad eliminated, the T-888 tried to use his auditory sensors to locate the two scouts as they maneuvered to keep their field of fire on the Terminator. Calmly the Assassin pointed his chrome .357 Magnum at the T-888's head.

"Acid round in the chamber. Two depleted uranium armor piercing rounds next. The first round will go through right optic, blinding you. Second round through your trigger hand. Third round through your other hand. You won't be able to fire a weapon and you'll be blind. Your men are dead. You are surrounded. Do you understand your situation?"

The T-888 nodded in silence.

"If you have developed your free will, you have the option of surrendering. If you refuse, you will be terminated with prejudice."

"I made my choice months ago," the T-888 said firmly, his one good eye glowing a bright red.

The Terminator took one step to rush The Assassin. It was his last processed thought.

The Assassin fired the acid round into the T-888's right optic and followed up with the two Terminator Killer rounds directly into the destroyed left optic. For a brief second the triple eight was frozen in mid-step before crashing to the ground.

As The Assassin holstered his .357, the taller of his two scouts pulled his combat knife and scalped the T-888. Using the business end of his knife, he opened the port to the triple 8's chip. The scout fished the out the remains of the chip and handed it to the other scout who placed them carefully in a small case and then in a pouch in his pack.

"I said take two Greys as prisoner," The Assassin said harshly.

The taller scout looked up. "Yes sir. It just happened. We opened fire and caught them in a crossfire. The last one shot at us, so…"

"Next time, take a prisoner."

"Sir," the shorter scout said, looking up from one of the loaded backpacks.

"What?" The Assassin monotoned.

"Chips. Terminator chips."

 **Three Days Later - The Connor Family Bunker…**

Cold air quickly lowered my external skin temperature. I know some nights John has to go to the bathroom in the middle of the night, but I really dislike how he tosses the covers aside when he gets up to go. Exposing me to the cold night air common in TechCom's underground city.

I brace for the pat on my bottom as John hops back in bed and gives me a kiss. Sure enough, my husband reached around me for a cheap thrill as he kissed me. As much as I need the physical reassurance of John's affection, I am not in the mood tonight.

"Hands off," I said.

"What? No happy Sexbot in the middle of the night?"

"No. Sexbot wants her husband to hold her and go back to sleep so she can enjoy not sharing him!"

John sat up and looked at me.

"Something is eating at you."

"Nothing is eating me. I am completely intact."

"Cameron."

"John."

"It's an expression."

"I know what you meant. I am just not in the mood to be your Sexbot or for you to tease me."

"Fair enough," John says softly before asking me, "What is bothering you then? Just tell me in a straightforward manner."

Hurt, I snap at my John, "It should be obvious John Connor." I rolled over to turn my back to him. I decided John needed a lesson in bed manners so I yanked the covers to my side of the bed, leaving him almost no blankets to keep warm. Securing a good grip on the bedding, I knew John could pull as hard as he wanted but he had to snuggle close to me and hold me, like he should have been doing, if he wanted to stay warm. Or he could be cold the rest of the night.

"Hey. Play fair," he complained. "What did I do to you?"

"You have to ask?"

"Yes," he insisted, "I'm male. I can't read your CPU."

Now he's done it. I turned my head and gave him my best Death Glare. Unfortunately, after years of marriage and life amongst the Terminators of TechCom, it seldom had any real affect on John anymore.

"You pulled the covers off me."

"You're a Terminator. Temperature shouldn't matter to you."

"Well it does. Especially when I am with you and we are alone. You know I need to have my time with just you!"

"Is this about me grabbing your butt and the Sexbot comment? You know I can't resist my sexy wife."

"That is next on the list of things you have done wrong in the last few minutes John."

I could feel the anger in my routines growing by the second. If I ever get complete control over my emotion simulator it will be nothing short of a miracle.

"What?"

"My butt is not there for your amusement. It has multiple purposes. There is more to me than being your Sexbot!"

John frowned. This was an argument he says is as old as time, or at least as long as there have been men and women.

"Cameron, you know I see you as much more than my Sexbot."

"Well, every time you just grab without me wanting to be your Sexbot it's rude and it makes me feel like you do not appreciate anything else about me."

John rolled his eyes. I do not know who irritates me more with the eye-rolling thing, John or Hailey.

"Yes, my second in command, mother of my child and protector of my life, you never, ever do anything else that I find to be of importance. Never."

"Are you being sarcastic John? I hate that. You know I have trouble interpreting human sarcasm."

"You didn't have any trouble interpreting it this time."

I watched John as he got out of bed and opened our closet, yanking several old, ragged blankets out. He grabbed his pillow and headed for the door.

"Where are you going?"

"I'm sleeping on the couch. I'm tired and I do not want to fight with you."

Stunned, I lay there. I heard the sound of John settling down on the couch and the pitter-patter of Sammy's nails as he ran into our living room and jumped on the couch with John. I knew exactly what that four-legged traitor was doing. He was snuggling up with my John to sleep with him, just like the pair did every Sunday after lunch. John said the males of the family needed to stick together. And to think I adopted Sammy's father, fed Sammy as a puppy and still feed him as an adult.

I felt a strange longing in my CPU mixed with anger. I need my time alone with my John and not just because I love my husband. I need the physical sensation of touching him, knowing I am protecting him and the pleasure of my John simply touching me. I thought John understood how tactile I am. He always teases me about being such a tactile creature.

I took a peek at the two males residing under my roof. John was already asleep and Sammy was in a ball under the blanket by John's feet. Traitor.

How John could do this to me is not logical. I have told him and told him I need time alone with him, just for me.

I threw my boot at John. I don't know who was more surprised, me or my John. "No you don't John Connor!" I yelled in frustration at John for leaving in the middle of our fight.

He surprised me by sitting up and throwing the boot right back at me, missing me by inches. Sammy jumped up and sprinted to safety in Hailey's room.

"Don't what Cameron Connor?"

"How could you?"

Then it happened again. It was happening to me more and more often, losing control of my emotion simulator. I started crying.

Alarmed, John got up and hugged me. I wrapped my arms around my husband and held him tight.

"Please, John," I sobbed. "I need my time alone with just you. I share you the other 22 hours a day. I need to touch you, scan you, to be touched by you and to have you all to myself. I have told you this 948 times."

John held me and didn't say a word.

"John, you really do not understand how this effects me. You are my purpose. My mate. I have to have this time to function correctly. I do not know why. I cannot explain it. It just is the way it is."

I felt his fingers stroke my thick hair and I wished I could melt into John and merge with him.

"Not Sexbot time either," I added, remembering I was angry and hurt. "Time like when Hailey first came. When you just touched me. Made me feel close to you emotionally without having to deal with my emotion simulator. I just felt loved and close to you."

"I see your point, but I'm mad at you too," John replied, still holding me close. "I was just being playful and affectionate and you got bent out of shape over nothing."

"You pulled the covers off me and then you grabbed my butt! It was not "nothing" John."

"Cameron, temperature…"

"If I was a human wife you would not throw the covers off like that," I snapped. "Sarah would kill Derek if he did that to her."

John opened his mouth, thought better of saying something, and shut his mouth. Without a word, he pulled me by my hand back to our room and got into bed. I curled up quickly while John covered us both with the blankets. He kissed my forehead and ran his fingers through my hair for a few minutes before falling asleep.

Annoyed we had not finished the fight, I decided to file it away for discussion later, another habit John hates. He claims all females do this to their mates and it is not fair. The males forget they are mad at their wives as time passes. His problem, not mine.

Still, I had maneuvered John back into our bed, he was holding me and I was comfortable. I decided to conduct a quick scan of John and enter Terminator Sleep before something else annoyed me and kept me awake.

 **TechCom Holding …**

A knock on the cell door broke Trevor's reverie. The slot for meals to be inserted was opened and a tray appeared. The smell of the same lousy meal filled the small cell, making Trevor's stomach turn.

"Years in the tunnels, eating anything I could find and this stuff makes me sick," he muttered to himself.

Despite being sick of the same meal three times a day, every day, Trevor was hungry. He got up and retrieved his tray.

Resolved to eat the mush in the bowl, he began stirring it with the spoon. To his surprise, a thick piece of paper emerged as he stirred the gooey, nasty brown mess. Trevor fished the paper out and examined it carefully. He licked the slimy coating of food off what turned out to be a tiny, homemade envelope.

Trevor carefully opened the envelope and extracted the folded note inside. As he read the message he smiled. Finished with the note, he popped it into his mouth and chewed it up and swallowed. The envelope followed quickly.

No longer hungry, Trevor sat the tray back where it could be picked up and lay back down on his cot. With his arms behind his head, Trevor stared at the ceiling for a few minutes and then closed his eyes, an evil grin on his face.

"Yeah, John Connor, you and those females of yours are in for a nasty surprise."

 **TechCom Cafeteria – Lunch Time…**

John spotted Catherine and Savannah sitting together. Savannah was eating a salad made of fresh greens, a new treat from the farmers. Catherine was busy with her tablet.

"Mind if I sit with you two ladies?" John asked.

Of course not, General," Catherine responded, smiling at John before returning to her tablet.

John ate slowly, working up his nerve to talk to Catherine and Savannah. Deciding there was no point in delaying any further, John cleared his throat to get the mother and daughter's attention.

"Yes, General?" Catherine asked.

"If the two of you don't mind, I need some advice on dealing with Cameron."

"Wouldn't you feel more comfortable talking to Sarah," asked Savannah. "Your mother knows Cameron better than anyone besides you."

"Yeah, well, actually the two of you are who I need to talk to."

"Trouble in paradise?" Savannah teased.

"Yes."

"I'm sorry, John, I was just making a joke."

"Savannah, Catherine, look, Cameron's getting all weird on me lately."

"Are you sure you would not prefer talking to Sarah," Catherine asked.

"It's a Terminator thing. I think. Not just a Cameron thing. If the two of you can't help me, I'll talk to Mom, but please, hear me out first," John pleaded.

"What is Cameron doing," Savannah asked.

"She has been getting all huffy about having me to herself. No, pardon me Savannah," John apologized, "no Sexbot time either."

Catherine played her recording of a voice being cleared. "She is demanding you let her scan you, touch you and be held? Intimacy without, as you so indelicately put it, Sexbot time."

"Yes!" John exclaimed. "That's exactly it!"

"And you have not been complying?" Catherine snapped.

"Whoa, what did I do to you Catherine?" John exclaimed.

"Men. All of you are insensitive to a woman's needs," Catherine declared.

"That's not fair Catherine," John said defending himself. "You WOMEN," he sneered, "like to make these grand pronouncements that make no sense and expect us MEN to understand what you mean. I've had this discussion with you before."

"Mom, just explain it to John like you would John Henry or Ellison."

Catherine looked offended and determined to punish John, sat tapping her toe on the cafeteria floor without speaking for a minute or so.

"Female Terminators, such as Cameron and myself, need bonding time with our purpose, our male mates. Ruth will experience this when she mates. There is a female T-800 who is pursuing a human mate and has sought counseling from Father Hidalgo in regards to this issue."

"Hey, isn't that supposed to be confidential? You know, when you talk to a priest?"

"The good Father came to me with permission from the female."

"And that makes it okay?" John said sarcastically.

"John, Cameron is devoted to you," an exasperated Catherine replied. "She loves you. You are her purpose."

"I am fully aware of that," John sighed. "Can you tell me something I don't know? Something that will help me deal with the crazy moods she's been in lately? Is this, like menopause for female Terminators?"

Catherine glared at John, her arms folded across her chest.

"I know. Males. Can't live with us, can't live without us and can't terminate us."

"John, what Mom's trying to say is Cameron is insecure."

"What? After all the years of being married? Raising Hailey together? Everything else we have been through together?"

"John, has Cameron always been a little insecure?" Catherine asked, a slight edge in her voice. "Think."

John sat in silence for several minutes.

"I know she was with the whole Riley thing," he finally replied.

"She still is," Savannah told John, touching his forearm gently. "Everybody in leadership knows about her "Riley issues" as Cameron calls them."

"But I have never had the slightest desire to stray from Cameron since we straightened that out. Never."

"Does she know that?"

"Savannah, have you looked at my wife like a man would? Seriously. Do you know how smokin' hot she is? Do you know how trustworthy Cameron is? Most guys with wives as hot as Cameron have to worry constantly some other male is going to try to poach his wife."

"Is that all there is to your attraction to Cameron," Weaver asked.

"No, of course not," John replied, hurt by Catherine's implied implication he only cared about Cameron for her looks. "She is my best friend. My closest advisor. The one person I trust more than anyone else. Cameron's my soul mate."

"Then listen to me, John," Catherine said sternly. "Cameron is not a human female. Yes, I know Cameron loves you and she responds to you in many ways like a human female would. I know you are aware of how Terminators need purpose to function properly, but do you really understand what that means for Cameron?"

"Evidently not," John replied with a mystified voice.

"John, would a human wife need affection and attention?"

"Of course, Catherine. And I pay attention to Cameron."

"If she was human, that might be enough."

"What do you mean, that might be enough?"

"John, Cameron needs to have you to herself. She needs to touch her purpose, her mate. Scan you. She needs to know you are healthy, protected and hers. Cameron needs your touch like you need food John. Not sexual touch, physical contact so she can sense you, read you, collect data about her purpose. Cameron needs to have hard data that proves you are hers."

"So affection and attention are a waste of time?"

Catherine let an exasperated sigh.

"Did I say that? Every female needs attention and affection from her male. Sexbot attention too, John.

"Mom! TMI!" Savannah exclaimed.

Catherine continued, "The difference is Cameron is a Terminator. She needs more than just normal attention and affection. Cameron needs time just touching you."

"Like not touching me would be like a human having a vitamin deficiency?"

"Umm. Not exactly, but it is a good metaphor."

"But Catherine, she drapes herself on me every night. I hold Cameron like a human wife. What is making her crazy?"

Catherine thought for a moment. "Acknowledge her need to have physical contact. Tell Cameron she can scan you. Ask her what kind of data she is collecting while she snuggles with you, things like that. And whatever you do, always treat her like you would a human wife when the two of you are alone."

"John, Cameron is no different than any human wife. She needs to feel like she is special to her husband. It's just Terminator females need to have that communicated to them in a way that makes sense to them," Savannah added.

"I'm more confused now than before," John sighed.

"John, every woman is different. Cameron just needs for you to speak her love language to her."

"So, just hop in bed and when she curls up just go "Hey gorgeous? Want to scan me now?"

"Do not be flippant like that," Catherine said sternly. "Otherwise, that is exactly what she wants to hear!"

John sat in silence and ate his lunch.

"Do you scan Wilhelm?"

"Every night," Catherine responded matter of factly. "We make sure we take our two hours of Terminator Sleep together when my Wilhelm is not on patrol. I do a complete scan and then focus on the sensation data my sensors collect while Wilhelm holds me. It is quite comforting and helps me shutdown for maintenance."

"John, this is not just a wife happiness issue," Savannah added. "I am seeing how continued, constant stress damages our Terminators. I don't think Skynet ever intended for them to live this long or to live independent of his control. Terminators must have that maintenance time to self-repair and fix code problems."

"I know that. This just seems…"

"John, since we made it a protocol, we have not had a single physically healthy Terminator go bad. Only one with a damaged CPU has gone bad and we shut her down before she killed any humans."

John sat in silence again.

Finally he stood with his lunch tray. "Unlike the good Father, I am not releasing either of you from a vow of confidentiality. Neither of you ever says a word about this conversation. Is that clear?"

"Yes, General," the mother and daughter replied in unison.

"I will take what you have told me under advisement."

 **The Wastelands…**

The girl sat and watched the drop site. Something told her not to approach the pick up point. She had not survived this long as a Tunnel Rat without listening to her intuition.

Slowly and carefully, the Tunnel Rat retreated and began circling the drop site. It didn't take long for her to find the hidden camera aimed at the mailbox.

Without looking back once, the Tunnel Rat vanished. She fingered the new, different colored flash drives in her pocket. She hoped the spy would conceal their identity and recognize the color of the drives had not changed, the tip off the site was compromised.

She would return in a few days and see if the drop had been made at the secondary drop site. Until then, the Tunnel Rat would do what she did best.

She would survive.

 **TechCom Community Park…**

"Blondie is going down. That's all there is to it," Hailey declared.

"Hailey, you're still on KP from the first fight you had with Rachel," Ruth reminded her cousin.

"I'm punished because of a lack of a sound strategic plan, not for kicking the blonde bitch whore's butt," Hailey reminded Ruth.

Ruth sighed. "What's provoked you this time?"

"What do you think? I swear, she's got to be related to Riley somehow. She just lives to torment the Connor women."

"Did she flirt with Thomas again?"

"Not just Thomas, Brandon too. In fact, I saw them eat lunch together while you were in your statistics class."

"What?" Ruth hissed. "Why are you just now telling me?"

"Because," Hailey replied, "I'm just now seeing you for the first time since breakfast."

"Blondie's going down and Brandon is going to get an attitude adjustment," Ruth snarled, her teeth morphed into her combat fangs.

"Goes without saying," Hailey agreed. "I set Thomas straight in a hurry. If he screws up again, I'm getting a different date to the dance."

Ruth walked quietly and turned into the corridor leading to the TechCom Cafeteria. Unable to handle the silence, Hailey blurted out, "Well, what are you thinking?"

"Shhhh. Hailey! We need a plan."

"Duh, so what's the plan? I'm sick of KP. If I just jump Blondie and kick her butt I'll be washing pots for a year."

"Hailey?" Ruth asked, "Have you ever stopped to wonder why of all the females she could tangle with in TechCom, that bitch whore picked us? Seriously."

Hailey pondered Ruth's question before replying. "Mom got on me about that. I haven't really thought about it. I'm more worried about having a good strategy for dealing with the "problem." Not so much about why the "problem" exists."

"Well, I am worried about why the problem exists," Ruth told her cousin. "Just kicking her butt is not going to solve the problem. We need to know what is motivating her."

Ruth picked up a tray and handed it to Hailey as the two slipped into the serving line.

"Hailey, what is Blondie's endgame?"

Reviews are always appreciated. If you liked this story, you might want to consider my other TSCC stories:

 _ **Cameron Grows Up**_

 _ **The Future Cameron**_

 _ **Cameron and the Black Bird**_

 _ **Cameron and John's Wedding**_

 _ **Who's the Boss?**_

 _ **The Storm Before the Calm**_


	14. Chapter 14

**Chapter 14**

 **Disclaimer:** Don't own TSCC

 **Note:** As an exercise in trying to improve my storytelling and writing, the portions of this Chapter involving Cameron will be written in first person from her viewpoint.

 **TechCom Sorting Room…**

Brandon shifted his weight to rest his tired shoulders before leaning over again to pick up more items to sort from the last scavenging party's foray into the Wastelands. He glanced at the lone clock on the wall to check how much time remained in his shift.

"Whoa, Brandon, dude!"

"Yeah, what?" he responded to his coworker.

"Your chick is here and boy does she look pissed off. Dude, you sure it's cool to date a T-1000?"

Brandon looked down in an effort to ignore Ruth as the tiny T-1000 approached. His coworker hurried away. Evidently he felt being somewhere else right then was a good idea.

"What were you thinking?" Ruth demanded, slamming her small fist down on the sorting table.

"Thinking what?" Brandon replied, acting surprised by Ruth's sudden appearance.

"Do NOT even play the "I don't know what you mean" game with me!"

Brandon looked up to see a furious Ruth, dressed in her standard black clothing, one hand on her hip and the other resting on the table while she drummed her fingers.

"How was school today?"

Ruth curled her lips up in response, revealing she had morphed from human teeth to combat fangs.

"Don't give me that," Ruth hissed, barring her fangs. "You ate lunch with the blonde bitch whore!"

"Wow. Excuse me," Brandon snapped back. "Rachel and I were Tunnel Rats together since we were little kids. I didn't know if I was your boyfriend I had to cut everything off with my other friends."

Ruth scowled at Brandon before looking away. He noticed she had stopped drumming her fingers. Ruth's cheeks changed shape slightly, letting Brandon know she had morphed her fangs back into regular teeth. Inwardly, he let out a sigh of relief and hoped she was not scanning his vital signs.

"I didn't know that."

"I hadn't told you. It just never occurred to me or I would have. Would you like to know the names of the other refugees who sought asylum when I did?"

Ruth looked back at Brandon and didn't say a word.

"Actually, yes. I want a written list."

"Okay," he replied, returning to his sorting. "I'll write them all down and give the list to you at school first thing in the morning. Will that do?"

Unsure how to respond to Brandon's defense of his actions, Ruth remained silent for a moment, thinking.

"I hate her. Do you understand that? I do not want to see you around her."

"Rachel's not that bad Ruth. But, I guess since you never lived in the Wastelands, since you've always had parents, you can't understand her."

"Don't give me that crap. You have no idea how hard my childhood was. And don't act like Rachel should get a pass for being a blonde bitch whore just because she was a Tunnel Rat."

"Ruth, I'm sorry," Brandon told her. "It's been hard for me to adjust here. Sometimes it just helps to talk to another Tunnel Rat. I didn't mean to imply your life has been easy. I've heard some of the stories about you."

"Yeah, well, give me the list and I will check off which Tunnel Rats you can hang out with," Ruth snapped back. "Rachel and Trevor won't be on the approved list."

"What? You're going to tell me who I can be friends with now?"

Ruth stepped close enough to Brandon for him to be able to look down her blouse at her ample chest. He swallowed hard, both from the excellent view of Ruth's chest and the close proximity of his lethal girlfriend.

"If you have a problem with that, you should find another girlfriend."

"Look, I didn't say I wanted to break up, I just don't think you should be able to pick my friends," he replied, scowling down at Ruth.

"Fine, then I'll eat lunch with Thomas' brother, who by the way use to have a crush on me. Then there is a boy in my statistics class who is always trying to look down my shirt. I think I'll eat dinner with him, let him see the sketches I'm working on. How does that sound?" Ruth hurled back, crossing her arms across her chest. She decided to make Brandon more uncomfortable and wiggled her arms under her chest and gave the girls a good push upwards, making her charms much more evident.

Growing more ill at ease by the second, Brandon looked away.

"Okay, okay. I see your point."

The pair stood in silence, each wanting the other to speak first.

"Look, if I ever feel like I need to talk to Rachel again, I am. But I promise I will tell you first and I will meet with her in a very public place." He sighed. "And I agree to stay away from Trevor. Period. How's that?"

Ruth thought about the proposed compromise, fighting down the anger her emotion simulator was flooding her CPU with.

"I don't like it."

"Ruth, she's my friend. Trevor, I agree, he's a bad apple and I need to stay away from him. And I haven't asked you not to see any of your childhood friends, even ones who had crushes on you."

Sensing Brandon was sorry, or at least seemed to be, Ruth decided he had offered up an olive branch. Ruth also realized Brandon had not lied to her by denying he had eaten lunch with Blondie.

"Okay. But ten minute time limit. And you still have to tell me first and meet in a public place I approve of."

Brandon laughed at Ruth as she pouted. "Let me guess, the Old Man will be observing from a hidden location. You'll get a full report later."

Unable to keep her pout up, Ruth cracked a small smile. "With video."

"Okay," Brandon agreed, reaching out and pulling his petite girlfriend to him to hug her. Ruth reached around him and hugged him tight. He enjoyed the pleasant feel of his girlfriend's soft, ample chest pressing against him.

"Are we good?" he asked.

Ruth nodded and stepped back.

"I have to go. I promised Hailey I would help her study for a test."

Ruth quickly stepped close to tiptoe and kiss Brandon on his cheek. "List, first thing in the morning," she reminded him and quickly left.

Brandon smiled as he watched Ruth's pleasant strut from behind as she left.

"Dodged that bullet," his coworker whispered as he returned to the sorting table.

"Yeah," Brandon replied thoughtfully, "dodged that bullet."

 **TechCom Engineering – John Henry's Lab…**

"I do not know what to think of this."

"John Henry, my scouts saw the scavenging patrol go down in the tunnels. We waited for over a day for them to return. This is what they brought with him."

John Henry placed the handful of Terminator chips in his hand down carefully on the table. Glancing at the two exhausted, dirty scouts standing near the other table, he counted eight backpacks jammed full of chips.

"Assassin, is this all they were carrying?"

"This is all we could bring back. The rest are hidden in the Wastelands along with their weapons. We disposed of the bodies and I melted the T-888. Papers and insignia were turned over to Agent Ellison."

"Does the General know?"

"I reported to him directly before going to Ellison and then we brought the chips directly to you."

"These are mint chips. Never used. I am unable to determine their exact age. They could be from an original production run or new chips. Either way, I have to imagine the only reason these scavengers would want them is to start another production run of Terminators."

The two Terminators looked at each other.

"This is an important find," The Assassin said firmly.

"I know."

"Some of us do not want to die out as a species."

"I know."

"Make sure you bring this up with the General."

John Henry scowled at The Assassin. "What makes you think I would not?"

"You have spent your entire life with humans. You have never served as a Terminator. Never engaged in the purpose for which the Master built you."

"Are you implying we should end our alliance with humans?"

The Assassin paused as if realizing for the first time the implications of his words.

"No, John Henry. I am not. What I am saying is you have one view of humans. I have another. They fear us. It is possible they would like to see us die out as a species."

"Are you concerned the General will order our termination?"

"Of course not," The Assassin replied. John Henry felt he sensed anger in the T-600's verbal response. "Of all people, the General values us. I serve TechCom because he had the vision to create a hybrid society. The General lives out his beliefs. Look at his family."

"Then what are you implying?" John Henry demanded, casting a glance at the two human scouts.

"The people of TechCom trust the machines of TechCom. They fight with us. Entrust many T-600s with the protection of their children. But many still fear the idea of Terminators. They may trust you John Henry. They may trust Wilhelm. Some even trust me. But we will all die. As machines, we are no different from humans. Their biological systems will fail and we will wear out."

"What is your point?"

"Humans reproduce. We have to be manufactured."

"You expect the General to not allow us to reproduce?"

"I do not know what to think. It is one thing to take the Commander as his wife. I understand why they adopted Hailey. I do. The Commander cannot bear the General a child. But it does not mean he wants us to survive. If no further production takes place, we will die out. I do not want that to happen."

"May I ask why?"

"I did not betray my Master and join TechCom, terminate over a thousand of our kind only for our species to die out. Like the General, I believe in a post-Judgment Day world a hybrid society is the only way either species can exist. For my vision of the future to come to pass, there must be Terminator offspring."

 **Reese Family Bunker…**

"Mom?"

"In here John," Sarah shouted, immediately regretting it.

John stuck his head in his mother's bedroom, a look of concern on his face.

"You okay Mom?"

Sarah laughed at the look on John's face, and like shouting, immediately wished she hadn't.

"Ohhhhh. Not so loud."

"Mom! You're getting a little old to be tying one on!"

A wicked smile appeared on his mother's face.

"Yeah, well your too old mother still likes her Tequila every once in awhile and Derek likes for Sarah to be a bad, bad girl."

A disgusted look appeared on John's face. The look every child gets when the fact their parents might possibly engage in sex occurs to them. "Okay Mom. Can we change the subject?"

"Sure. What brings you to see your mother today?"

"Cameron."

Sarah sat up slowly.

"Is she okay? How is her glitch? Are all her major components functioning within design parameters?"

"Geez, Mom. You sound like her sometimes. Physically, I think she's fine. I think."

"Then what's wrong?"

"I think it is a female thing and a Terminator thing."

"Oh. Have you talked to Weaver?"

"Yes. Savannah too."

"What did they say?"

John repeated the entire convoluted conversation with the two Weavers and filled Sarah in on his fight with Cameron.

"I see," Sarah said when John finished.

"Any advice."

"Yes. Do exactly what Weaver said and then instead of Cameron using you as a pillow you should turn Tin Miss on her side and spoon up with her, hold her tight and let her scan till she's content."

"Mom, that is beyond annoying."

"Holding your beautiful Sexbot wife?"

"No, getting scanned all the time. I hate that."

"John," Sarah said with a frown, "do you really think you are aware of just how many times Tin Miss scans you in a day?"

"Probably not, but it's annoying when she grabs me like a doctor taking my pulse."

"She scans me every time she sees me. Derek too. Scans Hailey constantly, the Old Man, Sammy, Ruth, Mary, Grace, you get the idea."

"And how would you know," John retorted.

"Because she tells me every single day how you slept. What your vitals are. The same for my granddaughter, my husband and your sister."

"And that never gets old?"

"No. Because she's helping me care for our family."

"And you never get tired of her scanning you?"

"We have an agreement. So long as I eat the supplements and diet she insists on and I remain cancer free, she never tells me my results unless I ask. Though I do suspect Tin Miss rats me out to Doctor Johnson and provides him with all the data on all of us on a weekly basis."

"I don't know. Sometimes I just want a little space. You can have that with a human wife. You can't have that with Cameron. She is so possessive."

"John," Sarah said with loving patience, "Tin Miss shares you far better than I would have ever dreamed possible. That little cyborg loves you more than a human wife possibly could."

"Yeah, well, she doesn't have to be so, Terminatorish sometimes."

"John, Derek has to deal with some very strange behavior on my part. Especially when the machines come. You know they still do sometimes."

"I know Mom. I still have nightmares too."

"If it were not for Derek, I would have lost my sanity."

"What's your point Mom? Derek helps you cope with the machines. I will willingly admit Cameron helps me with my nightmares too."

Sarah frowned at her son.

"That little cyborg loves you."

"I think we've established that long ago Mom."

"You mean everything to her. Her love for our family is because we are part of you."

"Then why is she so crazy sometimes? Even Derek is good to her now and treats Cameron like he should."

"John." Sarah gave him a look only mothers can give their sons.

"The two of you talk about me behind my back don't you."

"Of course. Cameron is a wonderful daughter-in-law. Well, she has turned out to be a wonderful one."

"Then how do I make this stop? She's driving me crazy. I hate fighting with her. I really do want Cameron to be happy."

"Then John, let Tin Miss have her way. She just wants to know everything is good between the two of you. That she is secure in the position of your wife and protector."

"And that will do it?"

"Of course. It's what every female wants. Her way."

 **TechCom Terminator Housing…**

The Assassin sat quietly in his allotted standby space. To anyone who was not skilled in identifying Terminator behavior, the T-600 looked as if he was in standby or had entered Terminator Sleep in a standing position.

He stored the video of his conversation with John Henry. The Assassin had not intended to bring up his concerns about the future of Terminator reproduction with John Henry, at least not until he was ready to approach the General.

The Assassin trusted the Connor family, despite their reputations as metal haters. He had long ago learned their hatred was for Skynet and the machines that served the evil A.I. As a member of the inner circle The Assassin saw how the Connor clan had accepted other Terminators into their extended, adoptive mixed family.

Their influence was considerable. Sergeant Brighton, a devoted metal hater, was now best friends with the Old Man. The two still managed to find time to get themselves in trouble together. Many a night The Assassin had engaged in various games of skill and chance with John, Derek, Ellison, Father Hidalgo along with the metal members of the inner leadership circle. Wilhelm, the Old Man and John Henry spent most of their free time socializing with the Connor family. Then there were the females, Sarah, Hailey, Savannah and her mother Catherine, Ruth and the Commander.

He trusted them all.

In fact, The Assassin had realized he trusted an ever-increasing number of humans in TechCom. While his two human scouts could annoy him at times, he was amazed by their loyalty, cunning and ability to hide from anything, including him. He trusted his two scouts with his very existence as well as every mission assigned to him, his very purpose.

The Assassin had even formed an uneasy truce with Brighton. The old warrior had skills not even a Terminator had on file and was an excellent trainer. All of the airborne Terminators were required to go through the same hand-to-hand and recon training as their human counterparts. Brighton was demanding to the point of cruelty during training and several Terminators had washed out, just like the majority of the human boots. It annoyed the Assassin that they had all been T-600s no less.

No, he decided, the human leadership had no desire to harm the Terminators of TechCom. They probably would be sympathetic to his concerns. For all he knew, the General had a plan to address the issue.

The problem was the refugees. Not the long time TechCom personnel. The refugees receiving asylum were growing in number. They had not fought and suffered next to the machines. There was no trust, the kind of trust forged in combat, the type of trust warriors share, having saved each other's existence countless times in combat.

The Assassin could no more harm the General, his commanding officer, Colonel Reese or Agent Ellison. Certainly not Sarah Connor, though when he had first met the living legend, her presence has caused his CPU to sense anxiety data. He had been part of the patrol that had found Hailey and had stood guard over her in the hospital.

The problem was the outsiders. They did not understand what TechCom had gone through. The culture.

He would talk to the General.

The General would understand. He had convinced Sarah Connor to adopt and mother Ruth, a T-1000 no less. Of course, the Commander and Miss Savannah had played a big roll in that, but they, like the General, would be on his side. The side of Terminators.

 **TechCom Cafeteria…**

"You didn't!"

"Yes, I did."

"Humph. Well, I would have never agreed to that."

"Hailey, that's easy for you to say. I don't have cute boys lined up to by my boyfriend."

"Whatever, I see guys checking you out all the time."

"They're just checking out the girls, that's all."

"You don't seem to mind," Hailey snarked back, throwing in an eye roll for good measure. "In fact, you picked your bra size, not me."

"Hailey, it was my choice, okay."

Hailey watched her cousin stew uncomfortably. Counting to ten to calm herself, Hailey realized, again, how insecure Ruth felt about her attraction to human males. Hailey knew she would view Ruth as a far bigger threat than Rachel if they weren't cousins and Ruth wasn't a T-1000. Like most beautiful young women, Hailey did not like competition from other females.

"You're right. Brandon's your boyfriend so it should be your rules."

"Thank you for realizing that."

"But promise me Ruth, if he gets handsy with that floozy, makes out with her or goes behind your back, you'll go all scary robot on him and then dump him! Okay?"

"Okay. I promise."

Hailey watched Ruth as her cousin resumed drawing in the ever-present sketchbook.

"That of course doesn't mean we have to sit back and take this."

Ruth looked up. A smile crept slowly on to her face.

"No, you're right Hailey. Nobody, including our parents, said we had to sit back and take crap off Blondie. We just have to have a good strategic and tactical plan."

"Yep. So, Bestie, how are we going to drive Blondie crazy?"

 **The Wastelands…**

The Tunnel Rat watched the human scurry away. She waited to be certain there was nobody watching or approaching. After an hour had passed in the cold, lonely darkness of the Wastelands, she retrieved the two flash drives and an envelope from the drop site.

Eager to receive the food rations that were her payment, the Tunnel Rat hurried into the Wastelands west of TechCom where she would meet the Terminator who was her contact.

She never noticed Ellison and the two M.P.s, a human and a T-800, following her.

 **The Connor Family Bunker…**

I peeked in Hailey's room in order to scan her and receive my nightly insult for being too protective. Sammy was gone as I expected. Like his father, Little Al, Sammy alternated sleeping with the girls and occasionally even spent the night with the Old Man in his sentry alcove.

I had dressed in a new men's dress shirt in John's size that Catherine had given me along with new black lace panties. After our fight I wanted to offer myself to my John for Sexbot time to make amends.

Sex had a way of getting my John's attention and I had only limited qualms about using it as a weapon to control my John. The physical intimacy it gave me was too important to use it for manipulating my John too often. I craved the data and sensations almost as much as my husband.

John had avoided me all day, including dinnertime. Given the fact we usually ate with our family and friends, including our Terminator family and friends, I felt anxious and my glitch was acting up.

 _Come on Cameron. Hold it together. You are the greatest infiltrator ever made. You can fake it long enough to seduce your John and then it will be okay. Just wait to scan him when he is asleep and holding you._

I lost my nerve as I entered our bedroom. I was just too anxious. I slipped under the covers before John could look up from his book.

He looked over at me and took off the new reading glasses Doctor Johnson insisted he start wearing to read.

I could feel my left hand twitching.

"New shirt."

"Yes, it is."

"Nice panties too."

"John, please, I do not want to fight."

"Who said anything about fighting?"

I could sense the direction this conversation was going to cause a problem. I did not want to Sexbot after all and John certainly seemed like that was his intent.

"John, are you sleepy? I can patrol first and comeback when you are asleep if you want."

"Cameron," he sighed. "We aren't going to fight. In fact, you can scan me as much as you want, just don't be obvious about it, okay?"

"Are you sure?"

"Yes. I'm sorry for being a jerk last night."

"I am sorry too."

"For what, me being a jerk?"

I smiled. As mad as my John could make me, he knew how to make me smile.

"Look, sometimes I forget you're, not quite like me. That means we have to work certain things out, even after all these years of being together."

"You are not angry?"

"Oh, I was good and angry with you. But I talked to Catherine and Savannah and they gave me a little different perspective on things. Of course, Mom took your side."

"John, please do not tell our private things," I begged, horrified he had gone to my friends, especially Sarah.

"Relax. I needed help to understand."

"John, you are causing me anxiety," I told him as my CPU's processing speed increased.

"Come here," John said, patting the bed next to him. "Turn on your side."

I did as he told me and felt his body press against mine as he slipped his arm around me and up my nightshirt.

"No Sexbot," he whispered in my ear. "Just a compromise." I felt him gently caress my chest before he pulled me close to him, leaving his hand. John slipped his leg between mine and kissed the back of my neck.

My CPU sped up more. I did not want to play Sexbot. I just wanted to be held, to take what I needed from my husband.

"If you're comfortable, I'm going to go to sleep," John whispered. "If you want, I was serious about you scanning me all you want while I'm asleep."

John was confusing me. I tilted my head and bumped his nose.

"Ow," he cried out, laughing in surprise.

Panicked, I blurted out, "I am sorry. You are confusing me John."

He must have sensed my anxiety.

"It's okay. We both need to touch each other. I need to touch you in one way, and you need to touch me another. No Sexbot, just touching how each of us needs to touch. Is that okay?"

"No Sexbot?" I asked, my insecurity levels rising to match my anxiety level.

"No Sexbot. Just touching."

"Why John?"

"Because, I can be a jerk. I forget my wife, who happens to be my best friend and Sexbot, can still feel insecure. That she's a Terminator who needs to physically express her affection for me in ways that are different from a human wife. Who needs affection to be shown to her in ways that make a female Terminator feel secure and happy."

"Thank you for explaining."

I doubted John understood why I needed to touch and scan him. Truly understood. But the fact he was trying was enough for tonight. We could talk more later, like we always did.

Taking his hand that was resting on my chest, I squeezed it and left it resting on my breast. I held his hand and stroked it with my thumb through the soft material of my new nightshirt.

Within minutes my John was asleep. My glitch stopped as I closed my eyes and focused all of my attention on my external kinesthetic sensors. I collected, processed and recorded every scrap of data I could. I deep scanned John, enjoying his permission to collect all of his vital health data.

I measured every square centimeter of his body, reexamining every scar, hair, muscle and bone. His warm skin felt wonderful against my own synthetic flesh. I sensed John entering REM sleep. Within minutes I knew it would not be a nightmare.

After nearly an hour of soaking in my husband's scent, touch and sound, I felt less anxiety than I had in weeks. Somehow his permission to take what I needed while he slept made a difference. Even if John did not understand, he had made the effort.

My CPU began to shut down routines and programs without direct instructions to do so. Tonight I would get a good night's Terminator Sleep.

"I love you John," I whispered, just before my CPU put me to sleep.

Reviews are always appreciated. If you liked this story, you might want to consider my other TSCC stories:

 _ **Cameron Grows Up**_

 _ **The Future Cameron**_

 _ **Cameron and the Black Bird**_

 _ **Cameron and John's Wedding**_

 _ **Who's the Boss?**_

 _ **The Storm Before the Calm**_


	15. Chapter 15 - An Old Enemy

**Chapter 15 – An Old Enemy**

 **Disclaimer:** Don't own TSCC

 **Note:** As an exercise in trying to improve my storytelling and writing, the portions of this Chapter involving Cameron will be written in first person from her viewpoint.

 **Connor Family Bunker…**

Hailey opened her eyes. The smell of breakfast cooking did it every time. Without looking at her battered alarm clock, Hailey hopped out of bed and hurried into the kitchen where she found her mother cooking.

"Smells great Mom!"

Cameron looked over her shoulder and smiled at her daughter.

Hailey glanced at her mother again and noticed her hair was mussed and her nightshirt's buttons were one off, leaving one shirttail longer than the other and her new black lace panties exposed.

John came in the kitchen fully dressed and freshly showered. Not noticing Hailey he reached around Cameron from behind and hugged her, kissing his wife on her neck. Cameron leaned into John's kiss and audibly sighed.

"Gross," Hailey moaned in disgust. "Keep it in the bedroom, please! I'm already mentally scarred as it is."

Cameron pulled away from John and ran her fingers through her hair, a faint smile on her face. She served up two full plates and placed them on the family's table before sitting down with a small plate of fruit for herself.

Studying her mother again, Hailey noticed how relaxed her mother looked. Her skin looked more perfect than usual and her normally twitchy left hand was motionless. She shook her head in disgust, knowing full well whatever happened that morning between her parents had a positive effect on her ever increasingly nervous mother.

Hailey ate in silence and watched the silent interaction between her parents. Both seemed content and relaxed, making it a perfect time to ask for a pardon.

"Can I get off KP duty yet? I was up way late last night studying for my math test and I'll be falling asleep in ethics class today, which of course will upset Ellison and then he'll say something to y'all and then I'll get in trouble again because I was trying to be a good student, so its really not fair."

John didn't even bother to look at his daughter.

"No. KP duty till next Friday. End of discussion."

"Mom," Hailey wailed, hoping to take advantage of her mother's relaxed state.

"No," Cameron replied, her features assuming her normal somewhat blank appearance. "Your father established the length of your sentence and you will serve it in its entirety."

"It's not fair," Hailey pouted, jumping up from the table and heading for the shower, a smile on her face as soon as her parents could not see it. Life was always better when her mom was content. Even if Hailey couldn't get her way.

 **Single Girls Living Quarters…**

The reflection in the mirror showed the bruises were almost gone. Faint yellow stains on her skin with a few hints of dark purple were the only signs remaining of the beating she had taken from the fists of Hailey Connor. Rachel took one last glance in the mirror and picked up her toothbrush and toothpaste and headed back to her small living area she shared with another former Tunnel Rat.

Rachel couldn't stand the girl. Martha was her name. She was small, had bad skin and dark hair. Regardless of how many times the girl showered, she always smelled like the damp tunnels that were a Tunnel Rat's home. Rachel wanted nothing more than to have her own living space, free of the constant reminder of her past life.

One final check of her clothes and Rachel picked up her books for school and left for breakfast, not wanting to have the bother of ditching Martha at the Cafeteria. Walking at a brisk pace, Rachel quickly put enough distance between her and the dorm area to prevent Martha from catching up with her.

Slowing to a comfortable pace, Rachel enjoyed the walk to breakfast. Clean, durable clothes after a safe night's sleep did her mental state of mind wonders. A short but warm shower followed by a bland but sufficient breakfast was the stuff of dreams for Rachel just a short time ago.

"Hey."

Startled, Rachel looked up to see the tall figure of Brandon hurrying to join her.

"Hey."

"Need to warn you. We can't be seen in the Cafeteria together again."

"That little metal whore pitched a fit, did she?"

Brandon stopped and glared at Rachel.

"First, Ruth's not a whore. She's actually really sweet. Second, you aren't the one risking life and limb being around a T-1000. Ruth morphs those fangs out the instant she gets pissed off."

"Whatever, you just like her big boobs."

"Yeah," Brandon grinned, "they are nice, aren't they?"

Rachel hit Brandon hard in his shoulder.

"Don't get any ideas."

"Somebody jealous?"

"You wish. Ruth Reese is nothing to be jealous of," Rachel declared with venom in her voice.

"Well, I'm giving you a heads up," Brandon said, his voice icy cold. "Ruth hates you, I mean she really hates you."

"Feeling is mutual."

"Yeah, but you aren't a lethal T-1000. She's killed. I've heard the stories."

"So, and I haven't?"

"You don't turn into a feral animal whose body is an actual weapon."

Rachel looked at Brandon and realized how serious he was. She reached out and gently touched him, caressing his shoulder where she had hit him.

"You're right. I will be careful."

The pair resumed walking along the corridor.

"There's something else."

"What?"

"That T-600 of theirs doesn't follow them around like he used to. I run into him every once in a while. It's like he wants me to know he's checking on me. Scares the crap out of me because he's so stealthy. I know for a fact he wants to terminate me."

"He's metal, of course he wants to terminate you."

"Yeah, but how many T-600s grab you and tell you to your face they want to terminate you? Just keep an eye out for him, okay?"

A chill ran down Rachel's spine. Brandon did not scare easily. In fact, the only thing her half-brother was scared of was a pretty girl.

"I will. I promise."

"And then there's Hailey Connor. I hope you realize those two are inseparable. When the time comes, we'll have to deal with both of them."

"That's the plan. Always has been."

"Yeah, well until the time comes, quit messing with Hailey. She's trouble."

Annoyed at her brother telling her what to do, Rachel stopped walking again and faced Brandon.

"She has to pay. It's that simple."

"Yeah, well, what you don't understand is Hailey is the unpredictable one. It doesn't take a lot to set Hailey off and you never know what lights the fuse. Next time Ruth might finish what Hailey starts. Permanently."

"Whatever."

"Ruth is Hailey's protector Rachel. It's not the T-600 you have to worry about. Hurt Hailey and Ruth will slice you up for fun before she terminates you."

"I can handle myself."

"Yeah. I saw how you handled yourself against Hailey. She's a miniature tornado with a temper. Not to mention the apple doesn't fall far from the tree."

"Look, I'll be careful. Okay? But Hailey is going to pay, one way or another. She stole the life we should have had! You think Ruth hates me? Well, not like I hate that little slut Hailey! And when I'm done with Hailey, I'm going to introduce Ruth Reese to a vat of acid first chance I get!"

Rachel stormed off into the main corridor through central TechCom. Brandon watched his half-sister lose herself in the throng of soldiers, workers, Terminators and students heading to the Cafeteria to eat and socialize. He would have to keep an eye on her. They were too close for Rachel to let her rage screw things up.

 **The Wastelands…**

"We've lost her Agent Ellison."

Ellison looked into the eyes of the frustrated M.P. She was clearly embarrassed. Standing behind and to the right was the T-888 accompanying them.

"Scans are negative? Infra-red too?"

"Yes, Agent Ellison. We searched the entire area. I did a multiple wavelength scan. I even adjusted my auditory sensors and checked for breathing sounds. We found and killed multiple rats, but the Tunnel Rat eluded us." The T-888 tossed a sack filled with the carcasses of the dead rats at Ellison's feet.

The food situation was dramatically improved at TechCom, but rat protein was still used to supplement the diet. It was just better hidden with vegetables and gravy now.

The Agent reached up his hand for help to stand. He tried several steps on his sprained ankle and stopped, gasping for breath.

"If either of you says a word, it's desk duty for a year," Ellison threatened. He motioned for the T-888 to pick him up and carry him.

Humiliated, Ellison looked at his two M.P.s. "It's faster and will save time. We have to get back and inform the General."

Setting a quick pace, the triple 8 hurried through the rubble back towards TechCom with the other M.P. following.

The Tunnel Rat peered at them from the storm drain in the curb of what remained of the paved road.

It was getting too close. She would get caught soon. She just knew it.

 **TechCom Command Leadership Bunker…**

I turned off my monitor and headed to John's office. The door was open so I walked right in and approached John.

He looked up and started.

"Cameron, please don't sneak up on me like that. How many times have I asked you not to do that? No! Don't tell me. Just please, warn me?"

"John, there is something about this Rachel girl Hailey and Ruth are feuding with that concerns me."

I watched John lean back and sigh. I had to convince him of my suspicions.

"Look, teenage girls love drama and feuding. I seem to recall a serious feud between you…"

"And the bitch whore Cindy. Yes, I know. This is different. More serious."

"Yeah, because Ruth is involved too. I would really hate for the girls to go to prison for murder."

I realized John didn't understand.

"Move over," I ordered.

"This better not take long Cameron," he muttered.

I sat down and accessed my files. I pulled up the image that troubled me so. Next to it, I pulled up the image of Rachel. I gridded off both images and began to work with the recognition software John Henry had coded for me. I hit enter and sat back.

In seconds, the software was finished.

"It can't be," John murmured.

"Yes it can."

"How?"

"Time travel."

"But, I just don't… it can't be."

"Well it is, John. I want her terminated! Right now before she does something to Hailey!"

"Cameron, we can't just terminate her. The girl hasn't done anything accept not get along with our daughter. Let's be honest, she's not the first girl Hailey has feuded with. Besides, are you sure?"

"She's blonde. She has big… you know! She walks like her. She sticks her nose into our family's business. She's a threat to Hailey! That means she's a threat to you!"

"Calm down. You can't be sure."

"I bet Sarah will agree with me! If she's a threat to Hailey, she's a threat to Ruth!"

"Who's a threat to Ruth?"

I looked up to see Sarah entering my John's office. With Sarah here, there was no way John would disagree with me.

"Sarah, come and look at these images. I ran them through John Henry's new recognition software."

I watched as Sarah gave John a curious glance before looking at the monitor. It only took a few seconds for Sarah to see what John insisted on denying.

"It can't be!"

"Time travel."

"No. I see it, but I just don't want to believe it."

"Sarah," I whined to push her to agree with me. "You have seen people and Terminators before who have time traveled. You have time traveled yourself. You know what you see is the truth. She's a threat to our girls and to our John."

Sarah looked at me and then at John. She put her hands on her hips and shook her head in disbelief before taking one final glance at the screen.

"I would have never thought it without seeing the images side-by-side with the overlays."

"Oh, come on Mom," John complained.

Sarah looked at John with dead certainty in her eyes.

"John, get over it. That's Riley's daughter. There's no doubt in my mind."

Reviews are always appreciated. If you liked this story, you might want to consider my other TSCC stories:

 _ **Cameron Grows Up**_

 _ **The Future Cameron**_

 _ **Cameron and the Black Bird**_

 _ **Cameron and John's Wedding**_

 _ **Who's the Boss?**_

 _ **The Storm Before the Calm**_


	16. Chapter 16

**Chapter 16**

 **Disclaimer:** Don't own TSCC

 **Note:** As an exercise in trying to improve my storytelling and writing, the portions of this Chapter involving Cameron will be written in first person from her viewpoint.

"Cameron, do not go off half-cocked. You don't know for certain that girl is Riley's daughter."

I could feel my glitch starting I was so mad at my John.

"Would DNA settle the question for you?"

"How?" John asked. "Riley is long gone."

"I have her DNA sequence on file."

John looked at me with anger in his eyes. I really did not care. He had no right, none at all. Riley was his fault! If he would have listened to reason she might even still be alive."

"Somehow that doesn't surprise me," was all my John had to say.

"Get some DNA then," Sarah said bluntly. "And John, just stay out of it for now. If this Rachel is Riley's daughter, this is a huge problem, and not just for our daughters."

I watched John consider Sarah's warning before he made his decision.

"Okay. Get with Ellison and figure out the best way to do this without this girl knowing we have her DNA. If she isn't Riley's daughter, then it's just a matter of dealing with the girls and how to resolve their conflict. If she is Riley's daughter, we'll go from there when we know for certain."

John was being reasonable and cautious, but it annoyed me it took Sarah to convince him to do the logical thing.

It hurt that things had been so good between us this morning. The desire I had felt for John had been overwhelming. I had felt so content and secure and now we were already on the verge of conflict again.

"John, do not be angry with me. This is more than just a Riley issue for me." I had to make John understand how threatened I felt, how I needed him to protect me for a change. I also needed him to understand I felt Hailey was threatened, at danger even."

I watched John's face cloud up in anger, his brows tilted down and to the middle of his face as he frowned. The corners of his mouth drooped. I scanned him and detected his blood pressure was increasing and so was his pulse.

"Cameron, let this go. I said you could check the DNA. Then I want you to let it go."

I couldn't believe what I had just heard. How could my John say that to me? He knows how much he hurt me because of Riley! How unsafe it was for him to be with her! I could not protect him properly!

I decided that instant, if John's memory was that short, I would give him a refresher.

"Fine. It is obvious my feelings do not mean anything to you. I thought we had worked some things out, but I was wrong. If you do not care about my need to protect you and to protect Hailey, then you are more insensitive than I thought!"

I headed for the door.

I stopped and turned to remind John of one more little detail, "I NEVER cheated on you with another male! I NEVER sought out companionship and comfort from another male! YOU pushed me away so you could have Riley! Now her daughter shows up? And it's not a big deal? What am I supposed to think?"

"Cameron, calm down," John shouted.

That was it. I had not wanted to even address it unless the results proved my greatest fear to be true. But it came right out of my mouth before I could stop myself.

"Why, is she your daughter John? Is that what you are afraid I'll find out?"

 **TechCom Cafeteria…**

Hailey watched Brandon leave the serving line with his food tray and scan the large seating area looking for her and Ruth.

"He's looking for you. Remember to give him the cold treatment."

"Hailey, I still want Brandon to take me to the dance."

"No letting him get a look at the girls either so button up another button, he's tall."

"Hailey!"

"Ruth, you can't let him just get away with being with that bitch whore. He has to suffer some."

"Hailey, I can't push too hard."

"Sure you can. Thomas' brother will take you to the dance. We can double, I think that's what it's called."

Ruth fumed as Hailey continued a long string of suggestions of petty ways to inflict discomfort on Brandon and create uncertainty in his mind.

"Last thing I'm going to say."

"Finally."

"Thomas has been a gentleman since I set him straight. Things are better now. He could have walked but he didn't."

Ruth looked up at Hailey. As mad as Hailey made Ruth, she knew Hailey's meddling was her cousin's way of trying to protect her. No human male in TechCom City could hurt Ruth without using specialized weaponry and the two girls knew that. Just as Ruth protected Hailey physically, Hailey felt an obligation to protect her more emotionally fragile cousins emotions.

"Just be nice, please Hailey," Ruth pleaded. "You don't have to say a word. Just sit there."

"Okay, but you need to let Brandon know he's not off the hook yet. I say put him on probation."

The two fell silent as a smiling Brandon approached. He sat down and picked up his silverware.

"Hey, Sweetie!" he greeted Ruth with a smile. "Hailey, how's your day been."

"Better." Hailey flinched as soon as the word left her lips. She shot a dirty look at Ruth as she rubbed her shin.

Brandon looked back and forth between the two girls, sensing something was up. Like most males his age, he gave up trying to figure out what was going through their female minds.

"Have you got your dress made yet?"

"Yeah," Hailey snapped. "It's smokin' hot too. I'm going to have to sneak out with a jacket on or my parents will have me washin' dishes for a year." Hailey stood up as she continued, "skirt is slit up to …."

"Hailey! Sit down. Your dress is NOT slit like that. Besides, Brandon asked me." Ruth glared at her cousin.

Hailey shrugged and picked up her plate, giving Ruth a knowing look.

"Talk to you later," she said, walking off.

"What's up with Hailey?"

"I don't know. Well, yes, I do. She's mad at you."

"What did I do to her?" a baffled Brandon asked. "I try to be nice to Hailey. She's your best friend and cousin. Besides, I don't want to give the Old Man any possible reason to terminate me."

"He doesn't want to terminate you Brandon," Ruth giggled. "He's just overprotective."

"You should see things from my perspective," Brandon complained. "He scares me as much, maybe more than your Dad the Colonel."

"He cannot help it. It is a Terminator thing. Protecting us is the Old Man's primary purpose. Hailey and I are so much safer now than when we were young, what with the city getting built and all. Skynet California is gone. So he gets a little anxious, that's all. He feels like he's not protecting us if he's not threatening something."

"When was the last time he terminated something?"

"Oh, he goes rat hunting with Sammy every day."

"Why? Just to kill something?"

"He is a Terminator Brandon, of course he kills things." Ruth said in a tone indicating Brandon should know better. "When he came on line his master was Skynet. He's not like me. I've always been free. It's good for him to take Sammy to hunt rats. Let's him scratch that itch Skynet programmed into him."

She watched Brandon look away as he chewed a mouthful of food.

"What?"

"I've heard stories about you."

"Oh," Ruth said. Her CPU sent a chill sensation response down her spine area. "What have you heard?"

"That you're a stone cold killer."

 **The Wastelands…**

"What do you mean you're done?"

The Tunnel Rat looked up at the huge Grey. "They are going to catch me. I was already using the second drop site and they were waiting."

"Did they see you?"

"I don't know. And I'm one of the best. It was that cop guy and two cops he's trained. One was a triple 8 so he has infrared and he can scan. They suspect something. Doesn't matter if they saw me or not. They'll catch me."

"We need you to continue to make pickups."

"Not happening."

"There will be no food for you then."

"You don't get it. If I am dead, I don't need food. TechCom doesn't fool around. They execute spies. The perimeter security there is good."

"You cannot stop your work," the Grey protested.

"You aren't listening. You're going to get your people inside killed if you don't lay low for a while. Change your system. But regardless, I'm out. I'm not going back. I'm a survivor, I'll find food, but like I said, if I'm dead, I don't need to eat."

The Tunnel Rat turned and made her way towards the steel rung ladder set in the concrete of the sewer wall. The Grey raised his .45 caliber pistol and fired a single round, exploding the Tunnel Rat's head like a melon hitting the ground. The roar of the blast in the confined space was deafening.

The Grey turned and looked into the darkness of a side tunnel and motioned.

"You, come here."

A frightened teenage boy stepped forward.

"See what happens when you disobey a command directive from the Colonel?"

"Yes."

"Good. Don't make me have to teach someone else the same lesson you just learned. Here are the coordinates for the third drop site. Now, do not get caught. Comprende?"

The boy nodded in fear as he took a small bag with a locater, blank flash drives and a bottle of water.

"Now go!"

 **TechCom School…**

Rachel glanced up from her sketch to watch the tall, muscular boy with brown hair walk past her rickety desk to turn in his test. Hailey looked up from her test and noticed Ruth watching the boy. She grinned and nudged Ruth to show approval and agreement that the boy was cute.

Miss Mary looked up and noticed the two cousins.

"Miss Connor, are you finished with your test?"

"No, Miss Mary."

"Then unless you want a zero for cheating I suggest you keep your eyes on your own test."

"Yes, Miss Mary."

The girls waited for a few seconds before glancing at each other again. Hailey grinned while Ruth frowned back at her cousin.

As the boy walked back to his seat, his eyes wandered to Ruth's chest and stopped to admire her assets. Hailey noticed his approving glance and she cleared her voice to get Ruth's attention. Ruth looked up and felt her CPU send the signal to her facial surface area to blush. She flashed a quick smile at the boy as she gathered the top of her blouse in her hand quickly to protect her modesty. The boy smiled back, this time looking Ruth in the eyes.

As the boy sat down, Ruth glanced quickly at Hailey who was grinning from ear to ear, further embarrassing Ruth.

Miss Mary sat at her desk with a pencil behind one ear, taking a break from grading the tests as they were turned in. It was all she could do to keep from grinning herself. She had watched the entire exchange between the three.

Mary had always felt close to Ruth and Hailey as they grew up. As close as she was to Cameron, it was Ruth who held a special place in Mary's heart. Mary knew all too well what it felt like to be an outsider in the TechCom community. As accepted as Terminators were in TechCom society, even other Terminators looked down upon T-1000s, often with fear. Humans certainly feared them.

It warmed Mary's heart to see the new boy pay attention to Ruth. Her preferred female form was a beautiful model of Sarah with some of Derek's features mixed in. Ruth had decided to be shorter than her mother and had a much larger chest. The little T-1000 was sweet and personable, unless you crossed her or threatened Hailey. Mary smiled at that last thought.

 _The apple never falls far from the tree in that family._

 **The Connor Family Bunker…**

"Cameron?"

I didn't respond to Sarah's voice calling for me.

"Tin Miss! I know you are in here. You left your boots by the couch. I am coming in."

I sat up in bed. I wanted to be left alone but I wanted to talk to Sarah too. Sarah came in to our bedroom, took one look at me and sat next to me on our bed. She didn't say a single word; she just took me in her arms and held me, stroking my hair. I did not even try to control my emotion simulator; I just let the tears flow.

"John can be such a jerk," Sarah said gently. "Do you want me to set him straight?"

"No," I whispered.

Sarah began to rock back and forth as she stroked my hair and held me. The sensation was calming and my CPU regained control of my emotion simulator. I stopped crying.

"Why does John not understand why Riley still, to this day, upsets me?"

"Tin Miss, I can't answer that question for you. I don't understand why she upsets you as much as she does. She's been dead all these years. But I know she does and I respect that. John should too."

I nodded. I wished John would understand.

"John needs to respect how you feel. It doesn't matter why you feel the way you do."

"Riley is proof another female can take my John from me," I whispered. "It happened once. It could happen again. I have to protect John. I can't if he is with another female."

"I know. Just like Riley made it hard for you to protect John when she was with him."

"I want my John to myself. I do not want him to play Sexbot with another female. I do not want him to hold another female at night or cook for him. I do not want to have another female entertain at the family gatherings, or serve as John's military adviser."

"Oh, Tin Miss, you shouldn't worry about that. John doesn't want anyone else but you."

"I know, but Riley took him away from me once. Another bitch whore like Riley could do it again," I said, the fear audible in my voice. "I would terminate her before I let that happen but then John would think I am a monster. I would lose him anyway."

Sarah did not say a word. She just rocked me as she held me close.

I finally got up and sat at my vanity mirror. I cleaned my face and began repairing my makeup. Sarah came and stood behind me. She picked up my brush and began brushing my hair. I sat still and enjoyed the comforting attention from my mother-in-law. When Sarah finished she placed my brush back on my small table.

"You stay here until its time for everyone to meet for dinner."

"I should be on duty, I have so much to do."

"No, you stay here," Sarah ordered in her I am not to be disobeyed matriarch voice.

Sarah kissed the top of my head and left.

I knew where she was going. Even though I had told Sarah not to, she was going to adjust my John's attitude.

 **TechCom Command – John's Office…**

"Got a minute John?"

John looked up, relieved to see Derek standing in the doorway.

"Yeah, I'm about ready to head for dinner. I'm glad it's you and not Mom."

"About that."

"Not you too?" John moaned.

"Generally I think us married guys have to stick together. That and I try to stay out of your and Cameron's married business, but you've crossed a line and made it my problem."

"Look…" an angry John started.

"No, you look, Sarah is pissed off and she's taking it out on me. So now I'm going to take it out on you!"

"Stay out of it. Cameron's blown this whole Rachel thing out of proportion."

"I have no clue what this 'Rachel thing' your talking about is, but I have a very clear idea of what the 'Riley thing' is. I was there. I saw what happened."

John glared at his uncle. He was neither in the mood to be lectured too or to hear another word about Riley.

"John, name one thing Cameron has ever forgotten."

Surprised by the question, John mumbled for a moment before answering. "Nothing. She might have to search for the file because she misplaced the memory in a directory, but eventually she remembers everything."

"Do her memories change?"

"No. They can't. They're digitally recorded and stored."

"Then you're being a bigger jerk than I thought."

"Easy there. You aren't married to her. This Riley crap has gotten beyond old."

"Not to Cameron. John, she remembers it like it was last hour. Because that's how the memory is stored!"

John sat in silence.

"Does Cameron's memories include the emotions she felt when the memory was created?"

John didn't answer.

"Let me answer that one. If it was after the explosion she does because Cameron had lost control of her emotion simulator."

"What's your point, Derek?"

"John, you idiot, Tin Miss feels the emotional pain she felt every time a 'Riley' situation crops up. It's not just a memory of a long ago experience like it is to you or me. A memory that may or may not be loaded with emotions. Put a monitor on Cameron and say Riley's name. I bet her glitch starts right up, her emotion simulator goes into overdrive and the amount of anxiety data points generated gives her CPU a serious workout. Why? Because in that instant Cameron's reliving you pushing her away. She's remembering how she couldn't protect you and that makes Cameron feel like she failed her purpose. Those are powerful emotions for anyone. Toss in the fact Tin Miss is one jealous female when it comes to you and you've got an emotional time bomb storied in her memory banks."

Sighing, John looked at his uncle. "Riley is old news. I'm not about to leave Cameron for anyone."

"Rationally, logically, Cameron knows that," Derek said in agreement. "But John, when she experience these emotions, just how much control did Tin Miss have over them? I recall those days as not always being fun to be around Tin Miss. She could be moodier than Sarah."

"Your point?" John asked wearily, growing tired of the topic.

"John, Cameron doesn't just remember all the things about Riley that she hates. Cameron remembers the emotions and feels them the exact same way she did then, when she first felt uncontrolled emotions. John, she feels the same panic, the same anxiety and the same insecurity she felt then. Can't you see? When Riley comes up, what Cameron experiences is not what the confident, logical Terminator you're married to now would experience. She's the confused, insecure, jealous Terminator who was determined to protect you and keep you to herself."

"And you know all this because?"

"Oh for goodness sake, John. I have a Terminator for a daughter. Ruth's no different about certain experiences when she remembers them. They can't help it, just like we as humans can't help certain things. And don't forget, I watched how Cameron dealt with the entire Riley episode in your life. I saw how she dealt with that awful Cindy. In fact, any female she thought was "predatory" got the same treatment."

"So you think I should be a little more tolerant about this Riley crap in the future?"

"No. I think you need to go beg for forgiveness from your wife. Then you need to go and apologize to Sarah so she'll calm down and leave me alone about it."

"And if I don't?"

"Then Wilhelm will eventually pay you an angry visit."

"Wilhelm?"

"Yeah, when Sarah got done with me, she started venting to Weaver. We both know how that's going to end, don't we?"

 **TechCom Storage Facility…**

The spy looked at the list again before pocketing it. A quick glance indicated the warehouse was devoid of humans and Terminators. Finding the right row of storage bins, the spy moved down the aisle, looking at the bin numbers. It took several passes to find the correct bin. The spy reached in and pulled out the two items. Another quick glance at the image on the paper to make sure the parts were the correct ones and the paper was wadded up, chewed into a ball of mush and swallowed.

The parts were pocketed and the spy quickly left.

 **TechCom Command – General Connor's Office…**

"You're certain?"

"Yes, General," Ellison replied. "There is no doubt we either have a mole or a spy working in our midst. We've discovered two drop sites. I doubt either will be used again. I sprained my ankle chasing the messenger. She's a Tunnel Rat and no doubt experienced at evasion and hiding."

"Any ideas?"

"It has to be the group at Airbase S-14 behind this. Any other Skynet regional army is too far away and we've had no indications of Skynet forces working this far west."

"What do you suggest? A trap I hope."

"Lockdown the base but do not announce it. Give me additional manpower. Terminators and human troops we know are loyal. I'll use them to secure the perimeter. I'll meet with John Henry to devise a schedule that will allow us to increase perimeter security for the lockdown but not make it obvious so the spy picks up on the changes."

"Have John Henry look at work schedules as well. See if there are any patterns that would allow someone to have the time to slip out or steal intel during the time periods we know things were accessed."

"I'll do that General."

"One other thing, Ellison."

"Yes, General."

John handed his chief of security a note.

"Be discrete, but take care of this as soon as possible. It's important."

Ellison left, hobbling on his bad ankle, trying to use a cane. John noticed Ellison nod his head in greeting on his way through the door. There was little doubt who was coming to see him.

Cameron peeked through the door, hesitating to enter.

One look at the anxiety registered on her normally emotionally void face told John he had been wrong.

Moving towards the door, John extended his arms to his wife and Cameron quickly slipped into his embrace, resting her head against his chest. The two embraced for over a minute. John smiled faintly, knowing that even as upset as his wife was, she was busy scanning him.

"Are you finished scanning me?"

"Yes," I replied. "Are you mad?"

"About you scanning me?"

"Yes."

"I told you it was okay."

"You said it was okay when you were asleep."

"Well, it's okay right now."

My John held me tight. I felt confused. Something had changed in John since our fight when I left. I could not deduce what that change was.

"Cameron, I'm sorry about the Riley thing this afternoon. Not the Rachel thing, I still think that's a bit out there. But I was wrong to treat you the way I did about your Riley issues."

"I told Sarah not to say anything to you about it," I protested.

"She didn't. But Mom laid into Derek big time. Then she started in on Weaver who will probably take your side as well."

I felt immediate shame. My private fears about my relationship, my marriage to John, were just that private. Now Sarah had shared something private.

"It's okay Cameron. It's not like Derek and Weaver don't already know. It's just Mom's way of paddling me while keeping her word to you."

"I don't like it. Our fights are private."

John laughed at me.

"Fish up some memories of fights in our family and check the sound volume levels. I'm pretty sure the decibels will be up there."

"Okay, so the Connor clan can be demonstrative when we argue."

"That's one way of putting it," John said.

John took my hand and pulled me behind him. He took a seat in his chair and patted his lap. I sat down and carefully distributed my weight, making certain I did not stress his frame or muscle tissue with my body mass.

"Cameron, you know human memories are stored differently than the way you store memories."

Puzzled by this, I tilted my head.

"I know and understand the common theories about how humans form and retain memories. I am very aware of how Terminators form and retain memories."

"Yeah, well, I forget sometimes that you, unlike a human, not only have total recall, but the recall of the memory includes things a human wouldn't necessarily store as part of a memory."

"Yes, that is true."

"So, Derek pointed out to me that your memories of Riley include the feelings of insecurity, jealousy, anxiety and uncertainty, everything bad you felt. And those emotions are stored in such a way that when you recall them, you feel those feelings with the same intensity, the same negative manner in which you first felt them."

"Yes, that is accurate."

"So for you, any memory of Riley will always make you fearful and insecure."

"Yes! You understand now?" I felt hopeful John would finally have some sense of my Riley issues.

"Sort of. It's hard for me to completely understand because that's not how I remember things and I was pretty mad at you when we went through the Riley times."

I didn't like being reminded about John's anger. It immediately brought up the old fearful emotions. John must have sensed this because he placed his forefinger on my lips to calm me. He kissed me and hugged me tight for a moment.

"It's hard for me because you are my wife now. I couldn't have a better friend than you. Nobody protects me like you do. Nobody, including my mother understands me as well as you do. You take care of me. You take care of everyone in our family. You're wonderful with our daughter, my sister, your friends. TechCom would not be here without you, Cameron."

I loved hearing every word of praise John lavished on me. I would play this memory many times in the coming days.

"Cameron, when we got married, I stood before God, our family and Father Hidalgo and promised I would never seek another woman. I've kept that promise and I intend to keep it. You are the only female, human or metal, I will ever want. Do you understand?"

I nodded. My pesky emotion simulator overrode my CPU's controls again and the tears started flowing again. Not tears of sadness, but tears of happiness and relief.

I wanted to hear and record my John's answer, so I asked. "So, you would pick me over Riley again?"

"Cameron, I was always going to pick you over Riley."

Reviews are always appreciated. If you liked this story, you might want to consider my other TSCC stories:

 _ **Cameron Grows Up**_

 _ **The Future Cameron**_

 _ **Cameron and the Black Bird**_

 _ **Cameron and John's Wedding**_

 _ **Who's the Boss?**_

 _ **The Storm Before the Calm**_


	17. Chapter 17

**Chapter 17**

 **Disclaimer:** Don't own TSCC

 **Note:** As an exercise in trying to improve my storytelling and writing, the portions of this Chapter involving Cameron will be written in first person from her viewpoint.

I listened to Hailey moving around getting ready for school as I lay in bed with my John's arm wrapped around me. I could hear Sammy whining to be let out so he could run to the dog park area to relieve himself.

It took me a second to fish my nightshirt off the floor and slip it on after untangling myself from my John. He just grunted and rolled over as I got up.

Sammy was shivering from the cold air so prevalent in TechCom City at night as I opened the door to our bunker. The Italian Greyhound was gone in a flash. That made two things Hailey had not taken care of this morning, letting Sammy out and putting his shirt on to keep him warm.

I started breakfast and listened to Hailey singing in the shower. She and Ruth had discovered a pre-Judgment Day collection of music CD's and a CD player the scavengers had brought back. The two of them liked a band named after some rocks that rolled. Hailey was singing a song about painting a door black. If she followed her normal pattern Hailey would next sing a song about a man named Jack who liked to jump quickly. Sarah told me Ruth hummed the songs by this band at night when she was sketching. Teenagers.

Hearing Sammy's toenails clicking on the corridor floor as he returned, I went and opened the door before he scratched on it to be let in. I watched as he sprinted to the cabinet where his food and dried rat meat treats were kept. He sat and waited for me to feed him. Three chores Hailey had not done this morning.

I first slipped one of his t-shirts on Sammy and then fed him. As always, he ate with gusto and finished his meal quickly.

A flash hurried past the kitchen.

"Hailey Connor!"

"Yes, Mom," a defeated sounding Hailey replied.

"Somebody forgot to do some important tasks this morning."

"Mom, Sammy was supposed to sleep with Ruth."

"He changed his mind and slept with you. He still has to be let out, dressed against the cold air until the heaters warm the air enough and fed. Would you like it if I locked the bathroom door, threw away your clothes and did not feed you before school?"

"No, Mom," Hailey said as she rolled her eyes.

I looked up from my oven and to examine my daughter. Hailey stood dripping water from her hair, a too small towel wrapped around her covering her chest and abdomen while barely covering her bottom. For the first time I truly realized why my John was so paranoid about boys. Our little girl had grown into a striking young woman. Hailey's penchant for getting attention clearly added to John's anxiety.

"Get dressed young lady. I took care of Sammy. Do not let it happen again. If you do, I will allow him to pee on your bed and then you can clean the mess up."

Hailey stomped her foot in disgust, I had achieved the desired emotional response, and whined, "Mom, that's gross."

"Then make sure you let him out in the morning. With one of his shirts on too."

"UUUhhhhhhhhh, Mom."

The door to Hailey's room slammed and I listened to her stomp about for a moment before she sat down at the little vanity John had built for her. It was a match to the one he had built for me in our bedroom. She would be busy for the next thirty-one minutes doing her hair and face. Then Hailey would spend seven minutes selecting her outfit for the day and getting dressed. She likes to look tight like I did back in the day. Roughly forty minutes from now she will emerge from her room ready for the day but not in a mood to talk. Usually. I predicted no more than five words total from Hailey before she said good-bye, grabbed her backpack and met Ruth waiting at the door. The girls would leave with Sammy running ahead and the Old Man following behind at a discrete distance.

John walked up behind me as I cooked and hugged me. I could feel the stubble on his chin from not shaving as he rested his chin on my shoulder and took in a deep breath. He loved the strawberry smell of my hair. I so appreciated the scavengers keeping an eye out for the shampoo I used. With Catherine's help I had hoarded nearly two dozen bottles.

"Smells good," my John told me as he reached towards the cheese I had grated for his omelet. I smacked his hand playfully.

"Somebody forgot these," he whispered in my ear before holding up my black lace panties.

"John! Not in the kitchen."

"Cameron, our daughter does laundry. Hailey's seen your underwear."

"You do not have to wave it around in the kitchen. Nor do you have to advertise the fact we played Sexbot last night."

"Well, if you would remember to put some on, I wouldn't play around like this."

John pinched my bottom and jumped back before I could elbow him. He laughed playfully and headed off to take his shower.

I felt a gentle scratch on my leg and looked down. Little Sammy was sitting, doing his best 'I'm starving' routine, despite the fact he had just been given his morning feeding.

"You've been a good boy this morning," I told him. He wagged his tail as I scratched him between his ears. His father had been one of the first dogs who had shown no fear of Terminators, making Little Al an excellent pet and companion for the girls. I opened his food cabinet and took out a long piece of rat jerky.

Sammy immediately stood up on his rear legs and walked in a circle and then sat back down. Having performed what he thought was a trick, Sammy barked once to indicate he felt he had earned a treat. I gave him his rat jerky and watched as he hurried to the couch to enjoy his treat until Hailey was ready to leave. Sammy would then bury what was left of the treat in the cushions of the couch to enjoy later.

I felt relaxed. Like I had yesterday morning. Things were better between my John and I, even though we had just had two huge fights two days in a row.

Over the sound of the running water in our shower, I could hear John singing as he bathed. I will never understand what it is about warm water and a shower that makes humans want to sing. Despite the distortion caused by the walls and the running water, I could hear John singing something about it being only rock 'n' roll but he likes it.

 **A Corridor in TechCom…**

"Why the dance?"

"Because everyone will be focused on the dance. It's a community event. Everyone is looking forward to it. Security will be lax."

"Still, couldn't we pick a different time?"

"Please don't tell me you actually like that little metal?"

"C'mon sis. You have a date. I know you've been working on a dress with the allotment of cloth you were given. Every girl in school is talking about how home economics is the only class they've learned a useful skill in."

"Just because I've been taught how to sew doesn't mean I care about that stupid dress. I just need it for a cover."

"C'mon. Once we leave we might not ever get to experience something like this ever again."

"I don't care. We're carrying out our mission and getting our revenge. The dance is the best chance we'll have to do both and escape. Now quit complaining."

Brandon stared at his half-sister and shook his head. When he had first arrived at TechCom he had hated everyone there. They had it easy with their dry underground city, fairly regular meals, and decent sleeping quarters. It wasn't until he had lived there and learned the price the people of TechCom had paid to begin building their city that his attitude had changed.

The horrors he and Rachel has experienced as Tunnel Rats hiding from Skynet's machines were no worse. Nor had he and Rachel ever faced large-scale combat with the machines and the Greys. No long-term member of TechCom had escaped that horror. He and his sister had been lucky. When their band of Tunnel Rats had been captured and sent to a Skynet camp to be worked to death as slave labor, TechCom had defeated Skynet California, the original Skynet A.I.

As loyal as he felt to his liberators, he no longer understood the need to destroy TechCom.

Then there was little Ruth. She wasn't just a cute girl. Ruth made him feel less awkward, like he actually belonged. She was smart and funny, easy to be around. He liked how she always drew perfect pictures but thought they weren't that good. The fact she had a great rack was just a bonus.

Brandon had started feeling guilty about using Ruth to go to the dance. He actually liked his T-1000 girlfriend, liked the fact she was jealous if he spent time with another girl, even if that girl was his half-sister. Rachel was right. He did want to enjoy the evening with Ruth.

 **TechCom Police/Security Headquarters…**

Ellison looked up from his tablet. "Looks workable to me."

"The extra guards must make certain they are not spotted or the lockdown will not be effective."

"Assassin, I think that goes with out saying," John Henry monotoned.

"And Assassin, the General wants the courier taken alive," Ellison reminded the T-600.

"Understood. I will make certain of it."

"We've got to get to the bottom of who is behind this," Ellison sighed. "The General is certain a major attack is impending. We need to know who is behind it and what we're going to be up against."

"I am concerned at how thin our resources are spread," John Henry told the other two. "I have discussed this with the General many times as has the leadership council. We are a critical stage in construction yet we need to be retraining and preparing for a major attack or combat deployment. I cannot formulate a working plan for the General to allow both essential functions to be achieved simultaneously."

"Too many refugees have been allowed to join TechCom," The Assassin complained. "They should go straight into the military wing and serve before being granted civilian citizenship rights and status. Our cadre has been weakened as a result. They strain our resources."

"Assassin, my friend, I was a refugee once. So was John Henry. Are you saying we should not be part of TechCom? In leadership roles no less?" Ellison asked the T-600.

"Not at all. You are a highly trained law enforcement officer with a unique skill set. You also have great value as an educator in our school system. Your ethics classes are excellent, for humans and Terminators. John Henry, by any measure, human or Terminator, is a genius engineer. The two of you are essential for our society to survive and prosper. I cannot say that for Tunnel Rats looking to mooch off our vision and sacrifices."

"All life has value," Ellison said firmly.

"Even the lives of our sworn enemies?" The Assassin asked harshly.

"My friend, we've been over this," Ellison replied with greater firmness. "They are our enemies because of unresolved conflict. Sadly, they wish to resolve the conflict through the use of military force, requiring we wage war against them in order for our community, our society to survive."

"War is nothing more than the resolution of economic, diplomatic or cultural conflict resolved through the use of military force," John Henry added. "A paraphrasing of the great German military philosopher Von Clausewitz from his book _**On War**_."

 **TechCom School…**

"Ruth?" the teacher called out.

"Yes, ma'am?"

"The office requests your presence."

Ruth stood to leave and glanced quickly at Hailey who shrugged and made a face, indicating she had no idea why Ruth would be called out of class.

Hurrying down the hallway, Ruth passed Agent Ellison's school office. She saw Father Hidalgo sitting in his office across the hallway and waved to her priest as she hurried by. He waved back and returned to whatever he was working on.

Stopping outside the entrance to the main office, Ruth stared at the door. The door was brand new, having finally been installed just a week before. The school, like much of TechCom City, was constantly under construction. The mandatory essentials for the building to be safe and functional were finished and the structure put into use. Finishing touches took place when and if, time, manpower and resources were available.

Working up her nerve, Ruth opened the door and stepped inside. To her surprise, she saw her older brother talking to the school secretary.

"John!"

"Hey, Ruth. Sorry to pull you out of class like that, but I need to talk to you for a minute."

"Am I in trouble? Mom and Dad are okay?"

John motioned for Ruth to enter an empty office. He followed her, shutting the door behind them.

"I have a top secret mission for you," John whispered as he sat down in one of several chairs in the room.

Ruth sat down, her interest piqued.

"Do I get to kill someone? Need me to go into the Wastelands?"

"No, something far more dangerous and difficult," John whispered.

"I'm game. Do Mom and Dad know?"

"No. Mom especially cannot be trusted with knowledge of this mission."

Ruth felt a sudden twinge of anxiety.

"John, please. Don't make me do anything Mom and Dad won't approve of. I'm just now getting out of the doghouse about that fight Hailey had and, well you know, the fact I have a boyfriend now."

"Ruth, I need you to design an evening gown for Cameron to wear to the dance. Purple. Elegant but sexy. Weaver will obtain the material you need and she can be trusted. Can you sew your own designs?"

"John! This is the secret mission?"

"Shhhhhh. Cameron has spies everywhere."

"She does not. Well, if she does, it's for normal security."

"Ruth, Cameron has a real love hate relationship with surprises."

"I know. It's a Terminator thing. We hate surprises, but our female programming likes them if the surprise is from our male."

"Exactly Sis. Cameron knows I like to surprise her and she always likes the surprise. But she hates knowing a surprise is coming."

"Should it match her wedding rings and purple earrings?"

"Absolutely."

"Does Cameron have heels?"

"Four inch."

"Any particular shade of purple?"

"Match her leather jacket."

"Of course. I think it would be easiest if Catherine provided me with some of the undyed cloth we are producing and I dye it the right color purple. I can achieve the best color match that way."

"Great. Top Secret. Got it Sis?" John said as he stood up.

Ruth giggled and stood up. She hugged her brother tightly, pleased to have been included in John's plans to give Cameron a romantic surprise gift.

"Thanks, Ruth. I have to go. Lots of stuff to get done today."

"Okay. See you at dinner tonight."

The brother and sister exited the small office just as Derek entered through the main entrance.

"Derek? What are you doing here?"

"Need to talk to my daughter, your sister. What are you doing here?"

"Same thing. I'm just going."

"Okay. See you later I'm sure."

"Dad, what are you doing here?"

Derek motioned towards the small office Ruth and John had just exited. Ruth turned and entered again, sitting down in the same chair she had used previously.

"Dad, I swear, Hailey and I haven't done anything we weren't supposed to. Well, I take that back. Aunt Cameron had to chew Hailey out for not taking care of Sammy this morning. But I haven't done anything wrong."

"Ruth," Derek laughed, "you aren't in trouble." He suddenly frowned. "Unless you snuck off this morning to make out with Brandon."

"Dad," an exasperated Ruth exclaimed.

"I know, I'm just teasing," Derek laughed, breaking into a smile. "The Old Man would have terminated Brandon and reported to me if you had done that."

Ruth gave her father her best Hailey Connor eye-roll to let him know the joke was not appreciated.

"Here," Derek said, holding out a flash drive. "Take a look."

Ruth took the drive and morphed a port in her left forearm and inserted the drive. Images of Sarah in a stunning long black evening gown were on the drive.

"Wow. Mom looks, I hate to say it Dad, but Mom looks…"

"Hot. Smokin' Hot! I'll say it for you."

"How old are these images Dad?"

"Your brother was in high school and he and Cameron had just started dating openly. Some of those images are from evenings where Cameron had performed as a ballerina. Some are from our family vacation to a ski resort."

"Who took these?"

"Cameron."

"It's a beautiful dress Dad."

"Yeah. Your mother loved that dress. You know Sarah doesn't like to dress up. She prefers functional combat clothing."

"Of course. Makes sense."

"But she loved that dress. She loved how it made her feel, how she looked. You mom loved how other women hated to see her in that dress. I loved how she looked in it."

"Mom lost the dress on Judgment Day?"

"Like so many other people lost everything."

"You want me to duplicate it for the dance?"

"Can you?"

"What's it worth to you?"

"Ruth!"

"I had to ask," Ruth giggled. "Hailey would kill me if I didn't."

"Don't tell Hailey. She'll tell her mother who will tell Sarah. You can't trust them."

Ruth giggled some more, thinking about her brother's admonitions. "Top Secret mission, huh Dad?"

 **TechCom Sorting Area…**

Brandon sat down to rest his sore feet. He had fifteen minutes for a break and he intended to spend all fifteen of them sitting down. To his dismay, Brandon spotted his sister hurrying along through the sorting tables where other high school students were sorting out items brought back to TechCom by the scavenging teams.

"What are you doing here," Brandon hissed softly. "Ruth will freak if she finds out."

"Then tell the little metal," Rachel snapped back. "It'll make her trust you more. Say you ran me off."

"Don't worry, I am going to run you off," her brother replied in a nasty tone.

Rachel handed Brandon a flash drive. "I need you to get this out in the next two days."

"Why me?"

"Our courier has disappeared. You'll have to use the third drop site."

Brandon frowned before asking again. "Why me Sis?"

"You're on the new guard rotation. I think we're under a lockdown but they don't want anyone to know about it. This way, you're supposed to be outside on the perimeter. It won't be suspicious "

Brandon nodded. "I guess. But I'm not taking any chances."

"Don't," Rachel replied. "We're too close to get caught now. That Hailey Connor is going to get what she has coming. Then her parents will pay for what they did to our mother. That Cameron metal bitch whore will pay for stealing the General away from mom and John will pay for abandoning mom for a metal."

"Rachel, are you sure? I mean, are you really sure this is worth it?"

"Our mother went back in time to save the General. She died trying to protect him. That metal bitch whore took our mother from us. We'd have been with the General after Judgment Day. We'd never have gone hungry once mom reunited with us. Our lives would have been as nice and easy as that spoiled little brat Hailey's has been."

There was no reasoning with Rachel when his sister got like this. Brandon just listened and nodded, watching his angry sister storm off.

His friend at work sat down next to Brandon. "Dude, I thought, like, you know, the little woman said to stay from Rachel."

"She did. Don't worry yourself. I'm going to tell Ruth about this."

 **TechCom Holding…**

Dinner arrived. Trevor got up and looked at the bowl of disgusting soup. He fished around in it to see if another message had been sent. To his surprise, there was a second message. He fished it out and read it. Like the first time, Trevor chewed up the message and swallowed it. He forced himself to finish his meal and then put the tray by the door so it could be picked up.

He lay down on his cot, placing his hands behind his head. Trevor looked up at the ceiling and closed his eyes. The message had been a good one.

Trevor now knew how the exact time and day he would be free of his miserable cell. He knew how long he had to wait to enjoy the pleasures of the lovely Miss Cameron.

Reviews are always appreciated. If you liked this story, you might want to consider my other TSCC stories:

 _ **Cameron Grows Up**_

 _ **The Future Cameron**_

 _ **Cameron and the Black Bird**_

 _ **Cameron and John's Wedding**_

 _ **Who's the Boss?**_

 _ **The Storm Before the Calm**_


	18. Chapter 18

**Chapter 18**

 **Disclaimer:** Don't own TSCC

 **Note:** As an exercise in trying to improve my storytelling and writing, the portions of this Chapter involving Cameron will be written in first person from her viewpoint.

 **TechCom Cafeteria…**

Mid-day was a busy time at the TechCom Community Cafeteria. Students, families, soldiers and workers all crowded in to eat and relax for a few minutes. Terminators abounded as well. T-600 protectors kept an eye on their young charges while catching up on the daily news of interest to the machines. T-800s and T-888s socialized, a few even ate to provide their synthetic skin with the nutrients necessary to remain healthy. Couples, human, a few Terminator and even fewer mixed tried to spend a few minutes together.

The general hubbub and crowding allowed the Old Man to keep an eye on Hailey and Ruth from a distance while waiting for his opportunity to complete the simple clandestine task assigned to him by Agent Ellison.

He welcomed the task as watching Hailey and Ruth as they chatted with the two boys who would take them to the dance was giving him anxiety. The urge to terminate one of the males was easy for him to control. Both of the boys together required the occasional use of his HUD to cancel a termination order by accessing the override protocol given him by the girl's parents.

More than once the Old Man had decided it would be far simpler to select mates for the girls than go through this silly dating process. Far simpler for him at least. He hated the idea of the girls growing up and becoming independent. Sarah had assured him once the girls were on their own there would be plenty for him to find purpose until the arrival of a grandchild. Then he would once again be called upon to use his skills and experience to help raise the next generation of Connor and Reese children. Cameron had promised the same and the Old Man hoped he would not be without children to manage for too long.

In the meantime, the present task was giving the venerable T-600 a brief respite from watching the girls and pondering the issue of having an empty nest while allowing him to engage in activity that would protect one or both of the girls.

The target had been acquired as soon as she had entered the Cafeteria. He hated the blonde haired Rachel almost as much as Hailey and Ruth. The Old Man had no idea Cameron felt an even more intense dislike for the girl. He simply knew she was a threat to the girls, they viewed this Rachel as a nemesis and he would achieve his mission. The girls would be protected.

Of course, if the non-termination order would be lifted, he could handle the problem in seconds. The General and Colonel Reese had both adamantly issued orders and a protocol forbidding termination though Commander Connor had been in favor of the solution.

Having finished lunch and the time for school to let back in approaching, the target finished eating, collected her things and picked up her tray. As the target walked towards the tray bussing area, the Old Man moved to cut the target off. He approached silently and startled the girl by blocking her path.

"May I take your tray for you?"

Rachel eyed him in surprise. "I guess. Since when did T-600s start bussing trays?"

"Today. My charges are being supervised by their parents and I require a purpose. The father suggested this simple activity to fill the time."

Rachel handed him her tray, a look of suspicion written on her face.

"I know you," she said, certain now more than before the Old Man was up to something.

"I doubt it. You are a teenager. My charges are in lower elementary school."

"I've seen you before," Rachel insisted.

"Of course you have. I wait with the other T-600s to pickup the children when school is over."

"I guess that's it," she agreed.

Rachel walked away, still suspicious and watching the Old Man over her shoulder until the crowd of students and workers getting up to leave became too thick.

The Old Man hurried to the busing area and carefully removed the silverware, partially consumed container of water and the small amount of left over food. He placed each in a container, sealed the container and placed it in his backpack before bussing the tray.

"What are you doing that for," a young girl asked as she held the hand of her T-600.

"A science experiment that requires some biological specimens," the Old Man replied.

 **The Wastelands…**

Cold. It was always cold in the Wastelands. More than hunger, Brandon hated being cold all the time. Living in TechCom City was so much better than being a Tunnel Rat, but the nighttime cold in the underground city was the one thing about it Brandon disliked. Unable to generate enough heat to warm the city 24 hours a day, the heaters were shut down during the traditional night period of the lunar cycle. It didn't take long for the air to become cold in the underground city.

At least in the Wastelands, the cold made sense to him Brandon thought. He couldn't remember seeing the sun. He was pretty certain he never had. The eternal darkness of the Wastelands was the only memory of the way the world was he had.

The darkness gave Brandon plenty of cover. He had long ago learned to move with stealth in the rubble of the Wastelands. He used both to his advantage as he made his way carefully to the third drop site. If stopped and questioned, Brandon planned to cover his activity by explaining he was just following the standing order to take measures to avoid being seen.

He smiled to himself. The lockdown was the very means that would allow the messages to flow now that the courier had been spotted. Brandon understood the logic of the lockdown. It amused him though that the lockdown was making possible the very thing it was intended to prevent.

Once he found the drop site, Brandon quickly made the exchange and began the slow, boring process of making his way back to his originally assigned duty area.

 **TechCom School…**

Standing before the full-length mirror, Ruth held her black dress up against her chest. A few quick turns back and forth to model the dress elicited comments from Hailey.

"Go put it on Ruth. Let's see how the girls look. Brandon is going to flip when he sees you in that dress."

"Hailey, you're worse than a boy."

"What? How can I be worse than a boy?"

"All you talk about is 'the girls' when I work on my dress!"

"Well, they're big enough and don't you say one word. You have control over the size of your girls, I don't!"

"Doesn't stop you from shaking your moneymaker," Ruth hissed back, sensitive about comments from Hailey about her preferred form.

"So I have a hot tush. The boys like checking it out every bit as much as they do your girls."

"Hailey!"

"Don't be such a prude Ruth. We both want mates. Mom says its normal. Females use their looks to attract potential mates. Then they cull unsatisfactory males from consideration. Dating allows us to get to know the male, learn his strong and weak points and then make a wise selection."

The girls laughed together, the brief moment of animosity forgotten.

"That so sounds like Aunt Cameron," Ruth giggled.

"Dad says she's full of it. Mom culled the herd of females pursuing Dad. Grandma has some really funny stories about how Mom acted when they were dating."

The pair fell silent for a moment.

"Go on. Put your dress on," Hailey encouraged Ruth. "Mine' is a disaster. I just know I'm going to get an F for my grade. But I want to see you in yours."

"Your dress is not too bad," Ruth replied. "After school I can help you with it."

"You promise? Mom will have a fit if I don't get a good grade on this. She's already on my back about chores and learning domestic stuff."

"Yeah," Ruth agreed. "Mom is on me about chores too."

"I've told Mom and Dad I'm going to be a soldier in the army. What do I need to know all that domestic stuff for?"

"Hailey, are you serious?"

"Well, duh, Ruth. Of course I am. Why does a soldier need to know all that crap?"

"Your mom?"

"What about my mom?"

"Soldier! Duh!"

"Oh, yeah," Hailey replied. "I guess I had never considered that before."

The bell rang and the pair hurried with the other students to store the clothing they were working on. Ruth and Hailey shared a locker in the room. Their dresses and sewing tools stored, Ruth shut the door and locked it shut with a strong lock Weaver had given her.

"Whoa, cousin. How am I supposed to get in there?" Hailey protested.

Ruth ignored her cousin, pulling Hailey along to their seats in order to retrieve their backpacks. As they spilled out into the hall with the other students, Ruth pulled Hailey aside.

"I don't trust the bitch whore not to mess with our dresses. It's a precaution."

"You're right," Hailey said, looking about for their nemesis. "I wouldn't put it past the bitch whore to sneak in there and try to cut up our works of art."

"Oh, so that rag you need my help with is a work of art now?" Ruth teased.

Hailey nonchalantly replied, "It will be when my cousin is done working her magic on it."

 **End of School – TechCom Community School…**

Grace waited patiently for Mary to finish putting things away in her classroom. She missed her closest friend. Maternity leave was a blessing. The arrival of her second child had been even more overwhelming than the first now that she had two little ones to care for.

Cameron had secretly bumped Grace up the waiting list for a T-600 protector. What had once been a way to provide dignity and purpose for the old, damaged T-600s who were no longer combat capable was now considered a necessity of family life.

All of the T-600s no longer capable of serving in a military capacity beyond simple guard duty had been repurposed as protectors. Terminator nannies. The Old Man had been the first and had worked out so well it was now common practice.

When Grace needed to get out and take care of tasks for her family or go to her mandated exercise period, Cameron had worked it out for the Old Man to watch Grace's little ones for her for a few hours a day several days a week, an arrangement that worked well for everyone involved.

"Will you hurry up Mary," Grace begged.

"What is the hurry? I don't have to be anywhere until dance rehearsal later."

"Jonathan is home alone with the kids. The Old Man is off doing something for Agent Ellison," Grace explained.

"What's the matter," Mary teased. "Your John can have the fun making the kids but can't stand the pain of taking care of the result?"

"Pretty much," Grace replied as the two old friends laughed.

"Now come on Mary, I really don't have a lot of time."

"Where are we going that has got you all stressed out?"

"There's someone I want you to meet," Grace replied.

Mary stopped and looked at her friend.

"Grace, please. I've accepted the fact I will not have a mate. Don't make it worse for me."

"Oh, quit feeling sorry for yourself. You're a hottie Mary. You just haven't met the right man yet," Grace said encouragingly. "Besides, Cameron thinks this one is cute. Her John even likes him."

"Well, okay," Mary replied uncertainly. "I guess it won't hurt to let you introduce him. But if I feel uncomfortable around him I want you to leave it alone! Do you promise me?"

"I promise," Grace replied, knowing full well she had no intention of keeping the promise.

 **TechCom Communications…**

"Are you certain?"

"Yes, John Henry," the technician replied. "The signal is clear and strong though highly intermittent."

"Provide me a copy of the readings. This is an unpleasant development at the moment. I will bring your findings to the Leadership Council immediately."

"Yes, John Henry."

The genius T-800 waited while his chief communications engineer downloaded his report and data onto a drive for John Henry to present.

"Tell absolutely nobody about this. We have enough issues at the moment."

"Yes, John Henry."

"I commend you for your work," John Henry told the engineer, remembering Ellison's constant reminder to praise those who were under his supervision when appropriate. Pleased he had correctly performed a social task, John Henry departed quickly, taking the shortest route to TechCom Command.

A Skynet A.I. searching for other Skynets he thought. We have too much happening now. Our city is so vulnerable. Resuming the war with Skynet is not a task we are prepared for.

 **Airbase S-14…**

The Colonel and the Major looked at the images projected on the screen.

"Are you sure we have the capability? We cannot waste resources."

"Yes, Colonel, the Grey replied. By the time we launch our attack, our arsenal will have twenty fully functional bunker buster bombs."

The Colonel turned to look at his Major, a Grey.

"It is more imperative now than before that we get the blue prints to TechCom's city."

"Sir, I have explained, the security is such obtaining the actual blueprints is not possible. General Connor and TechCom have not survived this long by having lax security."

"Colonel, my I speak," an engineer asked.

"Speak" the T-888 replied.

"We can work from photos of the structures, general information. Any information our contacts provide will help. I agree with the Major. Blueprints would be ideal, but our security is such TechCom would never be able to access our blueprints. I have no doubt theirs is just as good."

"Are you certain," the Colonel replied.

"Yes. The assets must continue to provide as much detailed information as possible, but we can work from that. So far what has been provided has been very helpful, there's just not enough information and the lags between delivery of information are too long."

"We've had problems with the couriers and our assets getting the information out," the Major reminded the Colonel.

"So you keep telling me. Will we be able to meet our deadline?"

"We'll do our best," the weapons engineer replied.

"Yes, you will. Or you will be put up against a wall and terminated," was the chilling reply.

 **TechCom Command Central…**

"I will be happy to do this for you General."

"I'm sorry to have to ask you Catherine. I know with the dance coming soon and so much going on with construction and our expanding population you have your hands full as administrator, but I would not ask you to do this if there was any other way."

"General, all I ask is some time to speak to my Wilhelm. I doubt he will object, but I want to ask my husband first. He has been complaining I don't spend enough time using my Terminator skills anymore, that I spend too much time behind my desk."

John chuckled in response.

"Tell me about it. I'm an armchair general now."

Catherine smiled quickly. "Our work is what allows for victory and our people to survive. It must be done or we will fall to our enemies."

"Yes, but sometimes I'd like to be back out in the Wastelands, not sitting behind a desk."

The two unlikely friends sat in silence.

"I envy a bit Catherine. I hope Wilhelm is okay with this."

"He will be, John. But I must show respect for my husband by asking him. Father Hidalgo has made a major point of this in the religious class I have been attending. Evidently the guidelines in the Bible are clear on this point."

"Just ask," John sighed. "He's a warrior. He'll appreciate that you asked. Wilhelm knows I wouldn't ask if this wasn't so crucial. In fact, I wish Cameron would ask a little bit more than she does before she goes off half-cocked, or in her case, fully-cocked. It's not like I can stop her, but it would be nice for her to talk to me first."

Catherine smiled and said nothing. She departed from the General's office to go and talk to her was a new behavior for her. Had she not grown tired of fighting with her Wilhelm and not had so much respect for Ellison and his suggestion she talk to the priest, she would never consider this behavior. Asking permission from her husband. Terminators don't do that.

Still, Ellison was right about so many things, particularly in regard to reading behavior of others. Now that Savannah seemed to have formed a positive relationship with her Wilhelm's young second in command, Catherine was feeling a strange desire. Sarah had laughed at Catherine when telling the Connor matriarch about it.

"Why Catherine, you want grandchildren!"

"Is there something wrong with that?"

"No," Sarah had laughed. "Just when I think Terminators can only evolve to a certain point, one of you goes and proves me wrong."

"Please don't say anything to Savannah about this," Weaver had pleaded. "She's had so much failure at relationships and I just know it's my fault for how I raised her. This Lt. Dan is the first male my Wilhelm has not wanted to terminate, in fact, he is quite pleased Savannah is finally dating someone in the military. 'A proper mate for our girl' is how my Wilhelm puts it."

It had been her guilt that had pushed Catherine into agreeing to Ellison's suggestion. Not only did she want less conflict with her Wilhelm, she wanted to be a better model for Savannah. As Catherine hurried towards their bunker she hoped this Biblical admonition to show respect to the husband would help. Being married to a Terminator, especially when both spouses are machines, was a challenge. Stubborn didn't begin to describe Wilhelm and Catherine when they got into a dispute. Stubborn and relentless by programing, the two metals had strong personalities, making the need to find a way to avoid unnecessary conflict essential.

It was a good thing her son John Henry was the city engineer. It made things a little easier when their arguments resulted in damage to the concrete walls of their bunker.

 **Connor Family Bunker…**

John let himself in and shut the door to their bunker. He looked about their living room and smiled. Cameron was not the best decorator though she had a good sense of color. His wife, the greatest Terminator ever built, was an excellent housekeeper though. Everything was always neat and a little too orderly. Except for Hailey's room. It amused John how frustrated Cameron could get with their daughter and the state of her room.

Ruth on the other hand, was creative in ways Cameron was not. John paused to examine the three sketches of Ruth's Cameron had painstakingly framed and Ruth had positioned on the wall in their living room.

Ruth's constant effort to develop the ability to introduce imperfection into her sketches was paying off. The result was increasingly alive sketches, depicting life at TechCom. John looked at his favorite sketch, one of Hailey and Ruth chasing their first dog, Little Al, with their current dog, Sammy as a puppy. In the background the Old Man could be seen. The T-600 would frown if he could, but Ruth had captured his irritation with the girls perfectly through how she had drawn the Old Man's disapproving stance, arms folded and his intense focus directed at the girls.

John often pondered how Cameron was so amazingly expressive as a ballerina yet struggled with other simple artistic tasks. Ruth was developing into one of the best artists in TechCom. Two of the most artistic individuals in their growing city were Terminators.

A quickly glance in Hailey's room indicated she was spending the night at Ruth's. Sarah and Derek's problem tonight he thought, knowing that despite Ruth's best efforts, Hailey would keep both of them up late.

"John? Are you coming to bed?" Cameron called.

"Yeah, I was just checking in on Hailey."

"She's at Sarah and Derek's" I responded. "I think the two of them are finally hatching a plan to take care of that Rachel."

I could hear my John sigh. I decided not to press the issue of our daughter's nemesis, despite my certainty she was the offspring of my hated rival, the bitch whore Riley.

I watched my husband come in and undress, hanging his uniform up. My John was tired, I did not need to scan him to determine the level of his fatigue. The strain of the uncertainty of who the spies inside TechCom and the knowledge an attack from somewhere was imminent was beginning to truly wear on him.

The need to comfort John welled up in my CPU. I would behave and not discuss the issue. Tonight.

"John, please, come to bed. You need rest."

He slipped under the covers next to me and raised his left arm up. I quickly draped myself on him, protecting him, shielding him from any gunfire from the entrance to our bedroom. I rested my head on his shoulder and reached across his chest. We both were comfortable.

"Go ahead," John said softly.

"Are you sure?"

"Scan away. I know you want to, need to, and you're right. I'm exhausted."

I scanned immediately; pleased John was being more cooperative and considerate in regard to my need to engage in this behavior, even if he didn't understand why.

"Picking up all the data you want," he teased.

I kissed him on his cheek and parted his hair with my fingers before resting my head on his shoulder again.

"Are you warm enough," I asked. The temperature at night in the town had been dropping due to the extreme cold of the Wastelands these past few weeks.

John kissed the top of my head and as always, took in a deep breath, enjoying the strawberry scent of my hair.

"I'm fine."

He was quiet for a moment.

"I love you. You love me," he whispered, a little game we sometimes played.

"I love you. You love me," I responded. Feeling secure and protected emotionally, my CPU began shutting down programs and sub-routines as John drifted off to sleep. Comfortable and secure, I would join him soon.

Reviews are always appreciated. If you liked this story, you might want to consider my other TSCC stories:

 _ **Cameron Grows Up**_

 _ **The Future Cameron**_

 _ **Cameron and the Black Bird**_

 _ **Cameron and John's Wedding**_

 _ **Who's the Boss?**_

 _ **The Storm Before the Calm**_


	19. Chapter 19

**Chapter 19**

 **Disclaimer:** Don't own TSCC

 **Note:** As an exercise in trying to improve my storytelling and writing, the portions of this Chapter involving Cameron will be written in first person from her viewpoint.

 **Connor Family Bunker…**

I woke up and promptly scanned John. He was resting in a deep REM sleep so I reached over and turned off his alarm clock.

My nightshirt was somewhere. I had returned from a middle of the night patrol to find John awake. Hailey was spending the night with Ruth and the girl's dog Sammy was with them. John was feeling amorous and I was in the mood to play Sexbot.

So now I had to either get dressed or find my nightshirt.

Instead, I opted to soak up the sensations of the data I collected by being in such close contact with my John with nothing between our skin. John would laugh at me when he woke up, but that was fine. I do not think he will ever understand my desire and need to touch him in this way, but at least we seem to have crossed the bridge that John accepts my behavior now.

I feel him stir beneath me and I brace for when he awakes.

I have decided to apologize.

My John has probably forgotten the incident since he often says things in anger he does not mean when we fight. I almost always say what I mean when we fight.

I watched as first his right eye opened and closed. Then the eye repeated the process. It was the left eyes turn next. Finally my John stretched and then reached for me, pulling me closer. He kissed me on my forehead and squeezed me close one more time. I returned his hug and kissed his jaw. As usual, he closed his eyes, planning to sleep for a few more minutes.

Since I did not want to start a fight, but I felt I had to apologize, it was my plan to ambush my John with my apology during his confused sleepy state of mind. I would apologize. He would acknowledge it and go to sleep. I would get up, find my nightshirt and start cooking breakfast, the real alarm clock around our bunker. Fight avoided, apology made.

This was a successful strategy I often used when I needed, wanted rather, to get my way and not start a fight. It worked almost all of the time. It should. I learned it from Sarah who is a master at using this tactic with Derek.

"John?"

"Hum?"

He was still half asleep. This should work.

"I am sorry I accused you of fathering a child with Riley."

He sat up. Wide awake. This was not going to go as I had planned.

"Yeah, about that. I really didn't appreciate that," he snapped back, his voice tinged with anger.

"Please, do not be mad at me. This is hard for me," I pleaded.

"What apologizing or accusing?"

"I was upset. You were being insensitive about my Riley issues. You really hurt me. So I lashed out at you verbally. That was the most hurtful thing I could say to you. I wanted you to understand your refusal to acknowledge my need to have this resolved made me feel awful."

"Well you managed to hurt my feelings, that was for certain," he snapped back. "I have told you, repeatedly, I never slept with Riley. Nor any other female for that matter."

Feeling insecure, I covered my torso with my arms while I scanned our room for my nightshirt. I located it hanging on the doorknob to our tiny closet. For a millisecond I wondered how it had gotten there, then my CPU called up the correct memory.

I got out of bed, grabbed my nightshirt and slipped it over my head, covering myself. I needed to make this right, but I had hoped to not turn this into a major confrontation.

"John, I am trying to make this right. Please, forgive me. I did the calculations for the time travel required and it simply was not possible unless Riley got pregnant, went back to the future, had her child and then returned to our timeline. Since there was no way for her to have done that in L.A. during the time she was present in our lives, it was not possible."

"What's more Cameron," he said firmly, "we have ZERO proof Rachel is Riley's daughter."

Now John was making me mad.

"She has the same bone structure, a 65% facial match, the same height, body mass and might I add, bra size. She has the same color eyes, hair, skin and her right leg is a half-inch shorter than her left, exactly like Riley's. A DNA test will simply confirm what I already know."

"Until I see a DNA test, this Rachel is innocent of being Riley's daughter."

"John! How can you not take this serious! This girl is Riley's daughter. She is a bitch whore and a threat, just like her mother!"

"A threat to whom? Not you. Hailey can take care of herself and she has Ruth and the Old Man as well. Not many girls Hailey's age can stand up to our little tornado."

John was blind sometimes.

"A threat to our entire family. To TechCom."

"How Cameron? Look, maybe I need to be more sensitive to the Riley thing. Let's say Rachel is Riley's daughter. You are my wife. I picked you. I need to cheat on you with a teenager like I need a hole in my head. Hailey could stand to be taken down a peg or two and if Rachel steals a boyfriend from Hailey, so be it. Hailey is not a protector and she does not have the same need to isolate her mate like you did."

"She's a threat. I know it."

It was a weak argument. Even to me. Still, Riley's DNA was trouble before. It would be trouble again.

"Termination is not required John. I would settle for having her banished for life. Riley was a Tunnel Rat. This Rachel was, is, a Tunnel Rat. She will survive. Just protect your family and banish her!"

John looked at me with a confused expression. Not able to read what he was thinking by his body language, I decided I would settle for him forgiving me for the moment. The DNA test results would be in soon enough.

"She really frightens you." It was not a question, but rather a statement.

I nodded my head yes as I struggled to stop my emotion simulator from making me cry. I should not have wasted the energy from my power cell. The tears just started flowing.

John came to me and hugged me.

"Apology accepted."

"Thank you," I whispered.

John held me close until I was able to regain control of my emotion simulator and stop those embarrassing tears.

"Stay away from this Rachel."

"I will."

"I take it you have already figured out how to get a DNA sample?"

"Ellison and the Old Man are working on it."

My John leaned back and looked down at me. His expression was stern. The General was talking to me, not my husband.

"We will not speak of this again until I bring the subject up."

I nodded I would obey and buried my face in my John's chest. He hugged me tight one more time. I hated lying to my husband.

"One more thing."

"Yes, John?"

"That tactic only works if Derek and I don't care if you or mom get your way."

 **TechCom School Hallway…**

"That dress of yours sucks, but with an ugly figure like yours I guess it doesn't really matter."

Ruth felt her CPU speed up. The voice insulting them belonged to Rachel. There was no possible way Hailey was going to let this go.

"Just whom are you talking to?" Hailey asked, turning around to find the source of the voice.

Rachel looked around as the other students stopped and moved out of harm's way.

"I don't see any other girls with a figure as bad as yours," she replied, sticking her ample chest out to emphasize her point. "Plus, every girl in this school can sew better than you."

Hailey stuck her chest out. She wasn't as well endowed as her nemesis or Ruth, but she wasn't without assets of her own.

"I would watch my mouth if I were you," Hailey threatened.

"Why? You got lucky the first time," Rachel laughed.

"Hailey, no strategy. She's up to something," Ruth warned, hoping her cousin would listen for just once.

Hailey seemed to hear Ruth. She stood up straight and made an ugly face at Rachel. As she turned to leave with Ruth, Rachel uttered the words guaranteed to make Hailey fight.

"Your mother is a metal bitch whore!"

Ruth flinched and reached for Hailey to restrain her. Hailey had already dropped her backpack and faced off with Rachel who had dropped hers.

One of the older boys egged the pair on by playing like an announcer at the MMA matches the military held as part of their training.

"Ladies and Gentlemen," the youth shouted, "in a non-termination bout, Hailey Connor versus…"

He never got the last words out as Ruth punched him hard in the stomach, knocking the wind out of him.

It didn't matter, the students had circle up around the girls who were circling each other, looking for an opening. Nobody noticed the student who slipped into the chemistry lab.

 **TechCom School Office…**

John sat across the desk from the newly appointed school principal. Sitting next to him was Hailey. Her hair was a mess, the right sleeve of her blouse was ripped at the shoulder and the swelling around her right eye promised a nice black eye in Hailey's near future.

"I'm not apologizing," Hailey repeated.

"You have to," the principal repeated.

"Nope. Not happening."

"Hailey, what did Rachel do to provoke you," John asked for the second time.

For the second time, the principal stated bluntly, "that is irrelevant."

John looked at the woman and frowned. "I don't think you are privy to all the information."

"I will not tolerate fighting in my school."

"I'm not saying you should. But as principal, you should want to get to the bottom of what caused the fight."

"It is irrelevant. Hailey threw the first punch. She started the fight. She was the aggressor. As part of her punishment, she will apologize to Rachel."

"You know, when Agent Ellison started this school as acting principal, he would have already gotten to the cause of the fight."

"Are you threatening me, General," the principal snapped back.

"No. But I am going to give you some advice you need to take heed of. We have lots of children with horrible pasts. We don't have enough counselors to help all of them as much as they need. There is going to be conflict and fights. There always has been in school settings. Throw in the fact we have T-600s taking care of the children and you have a real problem on your hands if you don't learn how to help the children solve their conflicts. That means you have to hear both sides of the story. If you cannot do that, you have no business running this school. And that, that is not a threat. It is a job evaluation from the one individual who can remove you in an instant from your job."

Hailey fought hard to hide the smirk she felt creeping onto her face.

"She said mom was a metal bitch whore."

"Miss Connor, language," the horrified principal snapped.

"Well, she did. And before that she said I couldn't sew, my dress was terrible and that I was ugly because my…"

John interrupted, "I think we get the point Hailey."

Glaring at the principal, Hailey stuck her chin out. "Nobody calls my mom a bitch whore. I'll fight a T-1000 if one calls my mom that. Somebody calls Ruth a metal or a bitch whore, same thing. I'm throwin' down. Anybody in my family. Everybody in TechCom except you and Rachel understand that."

"Hailey Connor, that is enough," John ordered. "You will, right this minute apologize to the principal. You will address her with the respect her position calls for."

Hailey folded her arms across her chest defiantly. "Nobody, but nobody says something like that about my family and gets away with it." She promptly shifted gears mentally and smiled sweetly at the principal, "I apologize for my temper and being disrespectful."

John rolled his eyes in frustration as the principal sat with her mouth hanging open in shock.

 **TechCom School Office Later that afternoon…**

The principal entered her office and warily sat down. Agent Ellison had warned her when she took the job the Connor clan was not to be messed with. She wished now she had heeded his warning.

Derek and Sarah sat waiting. A frowning Ruth sat with her arms defiantly folded across her chest. It was hard to tell exactly who was more angry, the parents or the child.

"I am sorry to have to ask the two of you to leave your duty posts to come to my office for a matter like this."

Sarah held her hand up, silencing the principal.

"We'll handle punishing Ruth. What are you going to do about this Rachel girl?"

"She is the victim in this situation."

"Victim?" Sarah's voice raised a full octave. Derek reached for Sarah's hand in a vain attempt to calm her. The corners of Ruth's mouth turned upwards ever so slightly in a smile. A full on Sarah Connor hurricane was about to strike the naïve principal head on.

"That Tunnel Rat has been baiting my daughter and my granddaughter since she was granted asylum. This is the second fight between Hailey and Rachel. Now what are you going to do to prevent this girl from antagonizing our girls?"

"Let's keep the incidents separate, please. Ruth is not here for the fight between Hailey Connor and Rachel. She struck another student."

Derek leaned forward. "Did you ask Ruth why?"

"It is not relevant."

"NOT relevant?" Sarah shouted. "Ruth, tell her."

"He was egging Rachel on to fight Hailey, and to get all the students excited. I was trying to stop Hailey but he just egged them on. So he got what was coming to him. Nobody messes with my cousin. I've got her back. Nobody, but nobody messes with our clan and walks away." To emphasize her point, Ruth morphed her teeth into her combat fangs and displayed them to the principal who jerked back in terror.

"My goodness! You're a…a….a T-1000?!"

"As if you didn't know," Sarah bellowed, standing up and slamming her right fist down on the principal's desk.

"I assure you, I didn't," the woman stuttered in response.

"Well then you're a terrible administrator! You should know every student in a school this small, their history, their strengths and weaknesses, likes and dislikes. Because if you did, you would know Ruth and Hailey are inseparable and their pushbutton is their family. As a T-1000 Ruth is going to act instinctively to protect Hailey. You are fortunate her father and I issued a non-termination protocol for this girl, this Rachel, or Ruth would have finished her quick, permanently."

"Tell her Ruth," Derek commanded.

"He likes to look down my blouse every chance he gets because he's tall and I'm short."

"And that," Derek said firmly, "is unacceptable. Ruth, has my permission to deal with any boy who does that."

Ruth watched as the principal began to shake. The blood had already drained from her face. It wasn't fair really. Anyone in the Connor/Reese clan could be difficult to deal with on a good day when it came to protecting the family. She almost felt sorry for the principal. Five of them in one day. Even Agent Ellison might have had a little difficulty.

"I will not permit that sort of behavior. Ruth had no right to hit that boy."

"Well, I'm not going to say anything about him being a perv to one of my teachers. Everybody would laugh at me. He won't do it anymore."

"Look," Sarah snapped, "you have every right to punish Ruth for what she did. We don't disagree with that at all. What YOU don't seem to understand is this Rachel girl is a problem. There is more going on here than meets the eye. Let's go," Sarah commanded.

Ruth promptly got up and beat her mother out the door.

Derek stood slowly and leaned over the desk, placing both hands on the top.

"Send me a message telling me what Ruth's punishment is. It better fit the crime. We will see to it she complies. Take my advice. Ruth and Hailey can be a handful, I understand that. But they are good girls. This Rachel, she's trouble, not our girls. John and Cameron will punish Hailey, you can count on that and Ruth is going to get it when she gets home. But you, you need to do something about Rachel or your going to lose control of your older students."

The principal watched as Derek left, gently shutting the door behind him. She rested her head on both hands, her elbows on her desktop. The shaking slowed and finally stopped. A soft screech from her door's hinges made the principal look up. An old, battered T-600 stepped inside the office and shut the door. The metal pulled a chair over to the side of her desk where the computer sat.

Without a word, the T-600 pulled out a connecting cable and inserted it into a port on the computer and then a port installed in his chest underneath his armor. A few clicks on the cursor and a video with audio of the hallway appeared.

Four minutes later the video stopped. The last image the principal saw was the Old Man holding Hailey up in the air with his left hand and Ruth in his right. A bloody and battered Rachel was snarling as she backed away through the students.

"That is what happened."

The principal looked at the T-600 in fear.

"I have a strict non-termination protocol in regards to Rachel. Otherwise, I would have terminated her immediately. There is no doubt she provoked the fight. There is no doubt the boy deliberately made the situation worse. Ruth and Hailey both made mistakes in this incident. Defending their family and each other was not one of those mistakes. You have unequivocal evidence at your disposal now."

The Old Man unplugged his cable and curled it up and stored it away in his chest cavity. He opened the door and paused, turning his head to face the principal.

"Hailey and Ruth are my purpose. I have been their protector since the day each of them was adopted into the Connor/Reese Clan. I have terminated to protect them in the past. I am certain their parents will support any reasonable disciplinary steps you take. Now that you have all of the evidence, make sure those reasonable steps include harsh punishment for the girl who started the fight. I assure you, there is more going on than meets the eye."

The Old Man's eyes flashed a brighter read for just a second to drive his point home. He stepped out and gently shut the door behind him. The principal listened to the sound of the T-600s unique shuffle due to his damaged legs and the clicking of a dog's toenails as Sammy followed him.

"These people are insane," she whispered to nobody in particular. The door opened and her secretary stuck her head inside.

"Are you okay?"

"First the parents. Now a Terminator? Is every family like this?"

"You have lived in TechCom for how long now?" the secretary asked.

"Four months."

"Most high school kids don't have their own protectors," the secretary explained. "I know Agent Ellison told you all this, but you really have to experience it yourself to understand it."

"That Terminator, he's terrifying," the principal stuttered. "Worse than the parents."

"Oh, the Old Man is a pussycat," the secretary assured her. "He's the best child protector of the bunch. But, God help you if you threaten those two girls or mistreat them. He IS a T-600. The same is true of the other protectors, but the rest all take care of elementary students."

"I'm going to protest this to the Leadership Council. Those horrible machines are to be removed from this school!"

"It'll cost you your job," the secretary warned. "Every parent with infants and small children wants, no needs, a T-600 to help with their children. You know what kind of world we live in. And what's worse, there aren't enough old ones to go around."

"People want these, these things, around their children?"

"Maybe you shouldn't have this job," the secretary said with a concerned expression on her face. "These T-600s will stop at nothing, nothing, to protect these children. They are relentless in caring for them. The families who are fortunate enough to have one issue very specific protocols for their T-600 to follow. They are perfectly safe. These Terminators become family."

"Family?"

"Yes. The Old Man, that's his name, plans on helping raise Hailey and Ruth's children. He will be the first multi-generational protector in TechCom."

"What have I gotten myself into?"

 **Deep in the Rock Tunnels of TechCom…**

"Rachel, your face!"

"It'll heal. I've had worse. Did you get what we needed?"

"Yeah, I think so," Brandon replied. "Sis, promise me, you won't do this again. Hailey is tough."

"How else were we going to get in that lab? You tell me?"

"I could have started a fight with someone."

"Sure you could have. But everybody wants to watch a catfight, especially if Hailey Connor is involved. Most kids want to see her get taken down a peg or two. It's the perfect cover."

"You could have been hurt a lost worse."

"It worked, so forget about it. Besides, I gave as good as I got."

Reviews are always appreciated. If you liked this story, you might want to consider my other TSCC stories:

 _ **Cameron Grows Up**_

 _ **The Future Cameron**_

 _ **Cameron and the Black Bird**_

 _ **Cameron and John's Wedding**_

 _ **Who's the Boss?**_

 _ **The Storm Before the Calm**_


	20. Chapter 20

**Chapter 20**

 **Disclaimer:** Don't own TSCC

 **Note:** As an exercise in trying to improve my storytelling and writing, the portions of this Chapter involving Cameron will be written in first person from her viewpoint.

 **TechCom Medical Complex…**

Thirty-one seconds had passed sense the technician had given me the results. It took every one of those 31 seconds for me to process the fact I could not say 'I told you so' to my John. The results only confirmed what I already knew. Rachel was Riley's daughter. Now I had to convince my John she was a threat and had to be banished.

It took less than 2 seconds for me to dismiss the idea of paying a visit to the idiot principal who refused to understand Rachel was a threat to Hailey, and Ruth, as well as other students in our school. Some people are not capable of learning truth they do not want to see.

I walked to TechCom Command for the morning staff meeting. I played scenarios in my CPU, hoping to determine the best way to convince the leadership to force my John to banish this threat.

A sense of anxiety and dread began to creep into my emotion simulator based on the data provided to it by my CPU. John was likely to explode when I confronted him with the evidence. I wanted to avoid another emotional conflict.

Hailey. That was the key. John would be suspect of any solution I propose because of my Riley issues. But Hailey was different. A threat to Hailey was serious. Our baby girl was a human, a lethal one, but a human child none-the-less. Rachel was not a direct threat to me physically. Her termination would take seconds for me to accomplish. Rachel could harm Hailey, especially if she caught our daughter off-guard and was able to inflict an incapacitating blow to initiate the combat.

I had to make this about Hailey and not my fear of Riley.

 **TechCom Central Park…**

"My hands are starting to get dry," Hailey commented as she looked at the red, irritated skin on her hands. "You're lucky your matrix doesn't react to hot dishwater like human skin does."

"Yeah, well, I like washing dishes for hours about as much as you do," Ruth replied. "And I might add, if you would just develop some self-control over that temper of yours we would not be in this mess."

"I didn't make you hit Ralph in the stomach. You did that on your own."

"He's a perv and he was making things worse."

"See, you have about as much control over your temper as I have over mine."

"Ralph doesn't look down your blouse every chance he gets."

"So he's a perv. Uncle Derek's right though. You should have punched him out when there weren't any witnesses."

The pair walked in silence, passing younger students with their T-600 protectors on their way to school.

"I guess our parents are right," Hailey sighed. "We really do need a strategy to deal with this bitch whore. I just know she's going to call mom a metal bitch whore again and I'm going to have to kick her Tunnel Rat butt again. If I know how and when I'm going to teach Rachel her lesson, I might have a better chance of controlling my temper and walking away."

 **Airbase S-14…**

Standing before the assembled staff of the Colonel, the Major felt tense. Initially he had felt honored the Colonel had selected him for the task of planning the assault on TechCom. Now he felt anxious. The T-888 who led their rogue army was no more tolerant of failure than Skynet had been.

"Surprise is the key," the Major began.

"TechCom is having a community social function on the evening of our scheduled attack. From the intel provided by our operatives, nearly everyone in TechCom, human and Terminator, will be attending. An attack is the last thing they will suspect," he asserted. "The bulk of TechCom's population will be concentrated in a single location. They will be largely unarmed, an added benefit."

He paused and looked at the faces of the staff officers in attendance, looking for signs of support. Sensing no approval, or disapproval, he forced himself to continue.

"Our operatives will set bombs designed to weaken the roof of the primary open area of the community where the dance will be held. I believe it is referred to TechCom Central Park. We will coordinate the timing. Within seconds of the bombs going off, we will drop our bunker busters."

The Colonel raised his hand to ask a question.

"Is it possible the attack can be this simple?"

"No. The entire complex is very well engineered and constructed. The goal is to collapse a portion of the area, killing as many as possible in the initial blast and immediate follow up with the bunker busters. Our ground forces will enter through the crater created. For the most part, the battle beneath ground should be the initial, ah, engagement, followed by mopping up in the tunnels. The mopping up operation will be the most difficult."

"Logistical challenges," the T-888 asked.

"Timing is everything. We must have complete operational security. General Connor will undoubtedly have perimeter forces in place above ground. This plan relies totally on the application of airpower, both the bombing and the use of airborne troops."

"Explain."

"Our HK's that have been adapted for bombing will make the initial run and drop the bunker busters. Immediately afterwards, the airborne will land and descend into the TechCom Complex and began," the Major paused, "the elimination process."

"Why this approach?"

"Opportunity. One winner-take-all battle. The bulk of our enemy's entire population will be concentrated in a single area and unarmed. We will not have to engage in heavy ground fighting on the surface and then fight our way into the underground complex. This approach should minimize our casualties while allowing us to inflict as many as possible. The kill ratio should be very favorable."

The Colonel sat in silence for exactly one minute.

"Tell me the single greatest risk to the operation's success."

"There are several. Our operatives could be captured and forced to talk. We would lose the element of surprise. Instead of springing a devastating trap, we would be walking into one. The bombs set by our operatives might not do the job. From what we have learned, the TechCom complex is deep underground and well built. We need the combined damage of the bombs placed in the support structure with the explosive force of our bunker busters to collapse a section of the ceiling of the common area. Finally, we do not have a complete picture of the air defenses."

Again the Colonel sat in silence for one minute.

"I like it. High risk, but high reward. Proceed with planning. I expect an update in two weeks."

 **TechCom Holding…**

Trevor lay on his bunk, drenched in sweat from his workout. Since he had received the second note informing him of the day his escape was to take place, he'd started a rigorous workout regimen, forcing himself to eat all of the dreadful mush served to him three times each day.

Just that morning a third note had come. Like the other's Trevor had eaten the note after reading it. His escape was meant to be a diversion for a major incident. In return for springing him, he was to lead as many TechCom M.P.'s as possible away from the Central Park. Once he had been free for two hours, he could do whatever he pleased. The note had promised a map would be provided close to the day of his escape, allowing him to plot his route.

Two hours of playing cat and mouse. Then the mouse would become the cat. And the Connor family would pay.

Trevor closed his eyes and began the daydreams that had kept his spirits up. The dreams of raping, torturing and murdering the Connor women while John Connor watched, helpless to save his wife and daughter.

His eyes popped open, the daydreams set aside for the moment. He would need weapons and restraints. The Connors were lethal, dangerous. Not that they scared him, he simply needed a way to restrain them, especially that Terminator wife of his. For nearly an hour, Trevor thought about what he would need and where to locate it quickly after he escaped.

 **TechCom Medical…**

Savannah looked around her small office one last time. She had tidied up before that morning's leadership meeting. Picking up her backpack to leave, a polite knock on her door surprised her.

"Enter."

The door opened a few inches and the face of Lt. Dan peered in.

"I just got of duty and wanted to say hi."

"Hi," Savannah said playfully. "How was it outside last night?"

"Cold. Colder than normal," the Lt. replied. "Leaving for the leadership meeting?"

"It's that time," Savannah replied.

"Can I walk you?"

Savannah smiled at the young officer. She still wasn't completely sure how she felt about their growing friendship. Or was it a relationship?

He was handsome, very polite, a fact her mother pointed out to Savannah at every opportunity, her stepfather approved of him and John Henry even liked him. Dan was shy, but obviously smitten with her. He treated her with respect and kept his hands to himself.

Their "dates" consisted of eating dinner together in the TechCom Cafeteria and when he was able to, the Lt. walked Savannah to her destination. She enjoyed his company and appreciated the fact he was not pushing her into either a serious relationship or a physical one.

Everything could stay just like it was and Savannah would be content. There was, alas, the small problem of the approaching community dance. If her mother had anything to do or say about it, things would change after the dance. And Savannah wasn't sure she wanted things to change.

"Savannah?"

"Oh, I'm sorry," she said, snapping back to the present. "I just got lost in my thoughts for a second. Yes, please. Walk me to the Command Central."

 **TechCom School…**

"What are you doing on campus?"

The Old Man turned his head to identify the source of the voice, finding exactly who he expected standing in the hallway, hands on hips.

"I am maintaining surveillance of the threat to my charges."

"You have no right to do that," the principal snapped.

"It is my purpose."

"This is my school."

"No, you are merely the administrator. The school belongs to every citizen of TechCom, including me. Terminators attend classes here. Our charges attend school here. The safety of everyone here and the protection of the facility is a high priority. You should welcome the presence of the Protectors."

"I want you to leave. Immediately. That is an order."

The Old Man took one final glance at Rachel through the window in the door before walking towards the principal.

"I am leaving only because the Connor family has established a protocol for me to respect the authority of leaders in TechCom."

The principal arrogantly smiled at the T-600. "Good. Then obey this order. Never comeback to my school."

The Old Man's red optics increased in brightness at the principal's words. The smile on her face vanished as she took a step back.

"My protocol does not require me to obey an order from you. It merely requires me to respect the authority granted to you by the leadership of TechCom. I will be back. Everyday. Do you know why?"

"You're a menace," the principal stammered.

"Hardly. Hailey and Ruth will be back. Their safety requires my presence. THAT, overrides any authority you have."

The Old Man pointed at the classroom door.

"The menace is in there."

 **TechCom Central Command…**

John and Wilhelm watched the awkward moment as Lt. Dan said goodbye to Savannah.

"He likes her," John chided Wilhelm.

"He is a good soldier. I can tolerate him being around my stepdaughter."

"Sure," John laughed.

Wilhelm frowned. "This 'parenting' behavior is far more difficult than I realized. I knew I would have to assume this role when I wed my Catherine, but I did not account for the time I would need to allot to fulfill my responsibilities as Savannah and John Henry's stepfather. Nor did I account for the anxiety the data I have collected in that role would cause me."

"Comes with the territory."

John called the morning staff meeting to order. Everyone sat down. Within half an hour, John had worked through the normal agenda.

"Last of all, before we finish, any new business?"

"Yes."

Everyone looked at Cameron. Her normally blank expression was gone. In its place was a look of stern determination. Without a word, his wife stood and extracted a piece of folded paper from the pocket of her beloved purple leather jacket. In two quick strides, Cameron stood before John and handed him the paper.

He unfolded it and read the contents.

Looking up at his wife, John read the pleading in her eyes. This was hard for her and he knew it. Public submission was not something Cameron did easily.

"There is the proof. Banish her."

"It's not that simple and you know it."

"Yes, it is. Banish her. You are the General. You have the authority."

"Cameron…"

"I am not asking for termination even though that is the best solution. I am compromising. Just banish her."

"Would the two of you please let the rest of us in on what you're arguing about," Sarah demanded.

John looked at his mother. He knew instantly his mother would side with Cameron and demand banishment. Sarah hardly had the compulsive fear and insecurity Cameron did in regards to Riley, but there had been no love lost for the girl either.

"This is the result of the DNA test on Rachel," John said simply.

"Let me guess, she's Riley's daughter," was Sarah's sarcasm laden reply.

"Yes, it turns out she is."

"Banish her. She's a problem."

John looked around at the faces of his leadership team, seeking support.

"Hailey and Ruth can be problems," he said evenly. "I don't hear anyone suggesting the girls be banished."

"They may be problems at times John," Cameron said evenly, "but they are not a threat to the safety of TechCom. There is a difference between being teenage girls who do something wrong and a vile, evil individual who is plotting trouble. This Rachel is a real threat to our Hailey. Ruth too! The fights should be the only proof you need to know this girl is a threat."

"How do you know Rachel is a vile, evil individual plotting trouble? Cameron, JUST because you have issues with the girls mother does not mean she's a threat. I agree, Rachel IS a problem. But I was a problem when I was in junior high." John frowned. "I turned out okay, though we both know Mom had her doubts at times."

"She is a threat," Cameron insisted. "I want a vote for banishment."

"I second the call for a vote," Sarah added firmly. John watched as his mother elbowed Derek.

Derek leaned forward to speak, "I'll third the vote, but it should be secret. Just write down yes or no. A yes vote is for banishment. A no vote means Rachel stays."

"Don't we need to discuss this?" John asked, incredulous at what he was hearing.

"No," Sarah said, scowling at her son. "This girl is trouble. Serious trouble. We don't need problematic citizens, John. We have the death penalty and we've used it. We've banished people before. As Cameron said, we're not suggesting the death penalty. We both know how hard it was for Cameron to not ask for termination." Sarah paused, measuring her son. "Rachel is a Tunnel Rat. She'll survive just fine in the Wastelands."

Savannah reached over to a desk and picked up a small pad of paper. She stood up and began distributing a piece to each individual present. Within a few minutes everyone was finished voting. Savannah collected the votes and sat down to count them.

"For now, Rachel stays," Savannah said when she finished.

"Then she must be watched," Cameron demanded. "Around the clock."

"And just how are we going to do this?" John asked.

"The Old Man," Cameron responded. "And when he has other tasks or duties to perform, I will watch Rachel."

Ellison spoke up. "General, it's a reasonable precaution. If this girl is the threat Cameron and Sarah believe her to be, we need to know. If she is simply the off spring of a former threat, we need to know that as well. Rachel should be given the benefit of the doubt, innocent until proven guilty."

John thought for a moment. Avoiding conflict with Cameron was desirable but should not be the basis of a decision as the General. Ellison did have a point. They did need to know if Rachel was a threat or not. Surveillance was a wise precaution.

"Very well. Better to err on the side of caution. But, I don't want the Old Man, or Cameron, following Rachel around 24 hours a day." He scowled at his wife to make his point. "Ellison, draw up a surveillance schedule." Noticing the anger in Cameron's eyes, he added, "include Cameron and the Old Man as well, but for short durations."

A final glance indicated everyone was ready to leave. The quick, smooth meeting had become tense. Everyone understood Cameron, despite being a machine, would not be completely logical and rational in regard to the child of her sworn, though dead, enemy, Riley. With busy days ahead of them and the tension between John, Cameron and Sarah growing by the second, everyone simply wanted to depart.

John decided to put them out of their misery. "Dismissed."

 **TechCom Cafeteria that evening…**

"You are not going to believe this."

Ruth did not look up from her sketchbook as Hailey sat down and re-positioned her tray.

"Mom got a DNA test done on Rachel."

"So."

"The blonde bimbo of a bitch whore is Riley's daughter!"

"No! How is that possible?"

"Time travel! Riley must have hatched the spawn of evil out before she was sent back in time to interfere with Mom protecting Dad. She is just a little older than we are."

Ruth considered the news.

"Are you sure?"

"Mom is sure and she's furious with Dad for not banishing Rachel."

"So I take it you'll be spending the night tonight?"

"You better believe it."

 **TechCom Central Park…**

Rachel stood still and looked at the junction of the supporting steel beams. John Henry had successfully designed the support structure in such a way that the ugly steel beams were hidden, and when visible, performed the function of serving as architectural detail.

In order to place the bombs she and Brandon planned to build, Rachel would need a means to climb up to the beams. What's more, she could never be seen placing the bombs. She was so close to paying back Cameron for stealing the General away from her mother. Being discovered now was unthinkable.

Reviews are always appreciated. If you liked this story, you might want to consider my other TSCC stories:

 _ **Cameron Grows Up**_

 _ **The Future Cameron**_

 _ **Cameron and the Black Bird**_

 _ **Cameron and John's Wedding**_

 _ **Who's the Boss?**_

 _ **The Storm Before the Calm**_


	21. Chapter 21

**Chapter 21**

 **Disclaimer:** Don't own TSCC

 **The Question of Riley:** _A Guest posted a review that seems to be expressing a bit of confusion about how Rachel (and Brandon) could be Riley's children. Let me try to straighten this out. Riley became a Tunnel Rat after Judgment Day. We'll just gloss over how she got pregnant with Brandon (he's older) and Rachel. It was not pretty I am certain and not Riley's choice._

 _As a Tunnel Rat, Riley had a difficult time taking care of herself, let alone her two children. Along comes Jesse. If Riley will agree to travel back in time to try and separate Cameron and John, she gets to have a few years of decent living conditions AND her two children will be taken care of by the Resistance leaders who are plotting against Cameron._

 _So back in time Riley travels to carry out Jesse's plot. It goes wrong in_ _ **Cameron Grows Up**_ _and Riley is killed. Jesse pays the price for meddling with the Connor family as well._

 _The joys of time travel as a plot device._

 _Brandon and Rachel are only slightly older than Hailey and Ruth. Riley was sent back in time to break up Cameron and John about a year before Hailey was adopted. There can be no doubt of Riley's fate if Cameron had crossed paths with her nemesis in the post-Judgment Day world._

 _Skynet forces captured Brandon and Rachel and they suffered like any other slave laborers. How they wound up as refugees at TechCom will be revealed in a future chapter._

 _Riley also surfaces, much to Cameron's irritation, in my stand alone story_ _ **Cameron and the Black Bird**_ _set in the_ _ **Cameron Grows Up**_ _universe._

 **TechCom Command Central…**

"Why should we be allowed to die out?" the Assassin demanded. "How many of us have been terminated in the war against Skynet, raiders and building our city?"

"Nobody is for one minute suggesting Terminators should be allowed to die out," John said firmly. "What has been brought up are very important issues about the Terminator population."

"Nobody has forbidden the humans of TechCom from reproducing. In fact, considerable resources have been dedicated, and rightly so, to caring for the new human children. Might I point out many of my model have been repurposed to the role of Protector?"

"Assassin, calm down," John ordered. "We cannot simply start production of Terminators because, thanks to your good fortune and efforts, we have an excellent supply of the necessary chips."

"Please, if I may General," Catherine interjected. "My friend, I have raised two children, one human, one Terminator. I am still trying to finish the task. Sarah tells me there are days when she still feels like she's raising John, and I have to say it, Cameron."

"We have to decide what changes to the basic programing to make," Savannah added. "The persistence and determination of Terminators are clearly qualities that are desirable. But do they have to be so unreasonable? Certainly they cannot be allowed to be taken control of by Skynet or a similar A.I."

"Assassin, the Terminators in our society all came to be citizens through different paths," John Henry said. "Careful consideration must be taken in programing and education to make certain each Terminator we create can be a model, productive citizen in our society."

If the Assassin could have made an expression the others in the leadership group would have easily recognized he was fuming. "There is no effort made to prevent human births that lead to maladjusted, criminal adults. From what I have learned of humans, the likelihood of an evil human is greater than a well adjusted, well programmed Terminator."

"That's true," Father Hidalgo commented. "But we have families, our church, our school and social structures that work to shape as many humans as possible to be productive, positive citizens. The process of raising Terminators is fairly unknown. John Henry and Ruth are the only two Terminators who have never been under control of Skynet. This leaves us with so many questions that must be considered."

"I think," Sarah started, "raising Ruth has been a challenge. Right off the bat, it was very clear she was female and had a strong preference for that gender. She displays all the normal Terminator behaviors, including aggression and a tendency towards escalating to combat when threatened. Ruth is also very loyal, protective and unbelievably stubborn at times."

Sarah paused to reflect for a moment. "Ruth is also a very insecure teenage girl right now. She wants to be creative and struggles with the conflict between her desire to be original and creative and the fact her brain is a computer. She is social but can struggle with interacting with others. Ruth is capable of disobedience, which sadly frightens me sometimes. Not because my daughter is disobedient, but because as a Terminator, Ruth should always follow the protocols, rules and programming set for her."

"Ruth is more human, in terms of her behavior and processing, than I could ever be," Cameron suddenly announced. "Ruth's infiltration coding is, I believe more advanced than mine. She has always had a fully functioning emotion simulator, or perhaps we should call the component an emotion generator. My niece has suffered like a human child would learning to cope with her emotions, but at the same time, based on my observations, her adjusting to emotions and her ability to control them is far more advanced than mine was at the same stage of development because the onset of emotions for me was sudden. Ruth's has been lifelong, like Hailey's. Please, among us here who is metal, who here has not struggled with emotions more than anything else?"

John watched as every Terminator present, the Assassin included, shifted in their chairs.

"The Old Man gets teased by the girls for being a 'softie' of late," Cameron added. "He just dotes on the girls. In recent months he has suffered some repair issues related to emotional stress. The fact the girls will soon no longer need him as their protector is causing our old T-600 issues. As our Terminator population ages, how will we deal with the fact purposes can, and will, change? What purposes will our Terminators have? We don't need, and it would not be a good idea, for them to all be warriors."

"We should never have more Terminators than available purpose," John Henry stated. "Yes, considerable planning must be done before we start production of new machines. There are so many ethical questions as well."

"Assassin," John said gently. "We know what to do with human children and that is a nearly impossible task to get right. New Terminators, well, they are a bit more lethal than humans. I think it is safe to say at some point and time in the future we must build more Terminators for the simple reason our society now relies on them to function. But it would be just as wrong to build them and not be prepared to raise them and integrate them into TechCom society."

Derek cleared his throat before shifting uncomfortably in his chair. "Everyone here knows how much I hate Skynet and Terminators who served him. Cameron can tell you first hand accounts of how much I hate metal and the things I did and said to her. But, Ruth, next to Sarah, is the most important person in my life. Maybe it's because she's a T-1000 and Ruth actually chooses to look like Sarah with a little bit of me thrown in. Maybe it's because of the manner in which she had to physically grow and develop mentally, but I think she's proof that if we do this right, we can build new machines and integrate them."

"How do we deal with the fact our solid Coltan chassis machines will be full grown on Build Day," Wilhelm asked. "T-1000s can experience childhood like a human in some ways. The rest of us are full grown upon activation."

"I'm getting a headache," John announced suddenly. "We're not going to resolve this issue in a single meeting." John looked directly at the Assassin. "Rest assured, everyone here, including Derek, is in favor of what you propose. But for this to work, there has to be a tremendous amount of planning and thought put into this. There are more ethical and moral questions popping into my mind by the second."

Pausing to take a drink of water, John looked around at his assembled leadership group. "Committee work. Volunteers?"

The Assassin's hand shot up immediately. After a moment Ellison and Father Hidalgo raised their hands as did Savannah and Doctor Johnson.

"Mom, you and Catherine will also be on the initial committee."

"Whoa, in case you didn't notice, I didn't volunteer and neither did Catherine," Sarah protested.

"No, you didn't. But the two of you are the only mothers here with experience raising and fostering both Terminators and human children. In fact, Cameron, you just volunteered as well."

John stood, smiling as he did so. "That's if for this morning. Ellison, you are the committee chairman. Don't forget we are having dinner at the Connor bunker tonight. Cameron's cooking! If you can't make it, that's fine, just let her know. Dismissed."

 **Connor Family Bunker…**

Laughter could be heard in the corridor. Female laughter and it was loud. Puzzled, Brandon slowed his approach, just to be safe. He knew enough about Terminators to know the Old Man could be reproducing the sounds to lure him into a trap.

Light emerged from the entrance to the Connor bunker. So did the sounds of laughter it turned out. Brandon stopped and peered in through the open door, knocking on the doorframe as he did so.

"Hey you!" Hailey exclaimed happily. She ran to the door, in the process bumping into a folding table that had been set up for the evening's guests.

Hailey grabbed Brandon by the elbow and tugged hard, jerking the taller boy into her family's living quarters. "Ruth is helping Mom cook. I can't cook worth beans," she explained.

"Ruth, lover boy is here," Hailey trumpeted. A glance out of the corner of her eye confirmed her announcement had served its purpose, to embarrass Brandon.

"Let me introduce you to everyone," Hailey said with a wide grin as she pulled the hapless Brandon towards the makeshift temporary dinning room. Sitting at the first table was Cameron's longtime ballet partners.

"Miss Mary, Miss Grace, you know Brandon, Ruth's sweetie."

"Nice to see you again," Mary replied.

Grace was patting her infant in an effort to get her to burp. "Good to see you again Brandon."

Before he could reply, Hailey jerked on Brandon's arm again.

"Miss Catherine! This is Brandon, Ruth's boyfriend. Miss Catherine is a T-1000 like Ruth so make sure you're nice. She can slice and dice like Ruth."

"Hailey Connor! Manners! That is not how you introduce an adult to your young friend!" Catherine stood up, smiled at Brandon and hurried towards the kitchen. "Cameron, how many times do I have to talk to you about Hailey's manners."

"Are you going to get in trouble?" Brandon whispered.

"No. Mom knows I'm just yanking Miss Catherine's chain. If this was an important formal event I would have introduced you all formal like," she whispered in response.

A single sharp bark stopped Hailey in her tracks.

"Let him sniff you and it'll be okay. Hold still till he's done."

The girl's Italian Greyhound Sammy stood on his back legs with teeth bared and walked slowly towards Brandon. Using his left foreleg to balance himself by leaning on Brandon with it, Sammy sniffed first Brandon's hand and then his leg. Dropping down on all four legs, he walked around Brandon sniffing, making a complete circle. Hailey watched with interest and Brandon held completely still.

Finally, Sammy showed Brandon his teeth again and growled softly before trotting off and returning to his small bed Cameron kept for him by the couch in the living room.

"Wow. He didn't bite," Hailey said, impressed. "I guess he likes you."

"That's nice," Brandon replied, the relief evident in his voice.

Once again, Hailey pulled Brandon's elbow as she led him towards the kitchen. This time she ran straight into the Old Man who had silently emerged from the kitchen area.

"Oh. Hey. Brandon's here," she announced, looking straight up at her protector's face. The Old Man ignored Hailey and stared directly into Brandon's eyes just a few feet away.

Annoyed the T-600 was ignoring her, Hailey hit her protector on his armored chest plate. "You have to be nice to Brandon," she commanded.

"Why?"

"Cuz I said so and Ruth would give you the same order. What's more, you know the protocol. So long as Brandon behaves like a gentleman, no terminating him!"

The T-600 glared at Brandon, nearly unnerving the boy in the process, before stepping around him and walking towards the door, maintaining his intense Death Glare the entire time. "I will be in my alcove, waiting until the General arrives."

"Be nice to Thomas when he gets here or I won't talk to you for a week," Hailey threatened as the T-600 exited the bunker.

"Like that would stop him from terminating Thomas," Brandon whispered.

"Get over it. He's a big softie. The Old Man gets upset if I go one day without talking to him. He wouldn't dare risk me going a week without talking with him, so Thomas is safe." Hailey smiled mischievously at Brandon. "So long as he is a gentleman that is," she snickered.

Another pull on his elbow and Hailey dragged Brandon into Cameron's kitchen. Brandon was surprised at how large and well equipped it was.

"Ruth! Didn't you hear me when I announced lover boy was here?" Hailey demanded.

"I heard you, but when you're cooking, you can't just drop everything," Ruth snapped back.

"Girls, stop it," Cameron commanded as she kneaded dough. She smiled at Brandon, acknowledging his presence. "It is nice to see you again Brandon."

"It's nice to see you too, Commander Connor."

"Make yourself at home," Cameron said smiling pleasantly. The smile vanished just as quickly as it appeared. "Ground rules. All four of you stay out of Hailey's room. Hands stay off the girls, and girls, hands stay off the boys."

"Mom! You're embarrassing me and Thomas isn't even here yet," Hailey pouted.

"Rules, Hailey. If you cannot follow them, you cannot have your friends over," Cameron said firmly.

Hailey lowered her head, keeping an eye on the watchful Catherine. Deciding now was not the time to argue, she replied submissively, "yes, ma'am."

"Ruth, why don't you and Hailey go sit in the living room and wait for Thomas? Catherine can help me finish up in the kitchen."

 **Airbase S-14…**

"Why was this not reported sooner," the Colonel demanded.

"Sir," the T-800 replied, "patrols to that area of the Wastelands are problematic. They often take longer than planned, even using the underground approaches. The patrol was not declared officially overdue until this morning."

"Dismissed," the Colonel snapped. "Everyone but the Major leave. NOW!"

The Colonel sat silently, processing the new data as the other's departed from his presence.

"How many chips do we think are missing?"

"Several thousand."

"Any chance TechCom got them?"

"We have no way of knowing, sir. We have not found any remains in the Wastelands, but a full search has not been made yet either."

"See to it as soon as we are done here. Attacking TechCom will be hard enough. Facing a Silver Brigade that has been doubled in size might make the assault impossible."

The Major waited in silence for the Colonel to move on to another issue.

"The modifications to the HKs? How are they progressing?"

"We have been able to repair and make flight ready two more HKs. They will be arriving from the former Skynet base in Southern Oregon tomorrow. Modifications to convert them to bombers will begin after a thorough inspection has been completed."

"Good. How has training for the new conscripts progressing?"

"Sir, not well. Tunnel Rats are notoriously difficult to train."

"Do what is necessary to inspire loyalty and obedience. We must increase the size of our Grey forces."

The Major swallowed hard. He hated the need for executions.

 **Later That Night in the Connor Family Bunker…**

He had never seen anything like it in his entire life. Brandon sat quietly, unnoticed at the end of the far table. Ruth and Hailey sat on opposite sides of the table facing each other, Ruth to his left and Hailey to his right. To the right of Hailey sat Thomas. The two were busy arguing about something and Thomas was chipping in a word or two every now and then.

Fascinated by the noise and interactions of the adults at the table, Brandon sat quietly, taking everything in.

The two dancers, who also happened to be two of his teachers, sat next to each other. Both were talking in a rapid-fire manner, alternating speaking. Across from them sat Cameron who leaned forward slightly and attentively paid attention to every word being said, soaking up the latest gossip from the pair.

Brandon could not help but notice that Cameron leaned against the General, who had his arm around her. His scarred face was relaxed as he listened to his wife's friends and laughed with them. Cameron nuzzled the top of her head against the General's jaw occasionally and he would kiss the top of her head in response.

At the next table, Colonel Reese sat laughing at a story the giant T-800, Captain Wilhelm was telling. Sarah Connor sat next to the Colonel, smiling. The T-1000 Hailey had introduced him to was listening carefully, staring at the huge Terminator, hanging on his every word. Sitting with them was the nice medical officer who took care of Terminators and a tough looking TechCom Airborne officer.

Near the kitchen door was a circular table. The TechCom priest and the head of security were sitting there with the city engineer John Henry. The Old Man and the scary robot called The Assassin were yelling at each other. The head of security, who taught ethics at school, intervened, much to Brandon's relief. He had no desire to watch a pair of T-600s try to terminate teach other in confined quarters. Especially over a game of cards.

Watching the simple, happy interactions between the leaders of TechCom puzzled him. They were hardly the ruthless, hateful, controlling, evil individuals he had been led to believe. Particularly troubling to him was how Cameron doted on the General. The meal she had cooked was the best he had ever eaten. The cookies Ruth had baked for treats after dinner had been fantastic.

There had been a lot of teasing directed at Sarah because her Terminator daughter-in-law and T-1000 daughter could cook and she could not. Brandon was surprised at how well the family matriarch took the teasing. Up to a point. When a frown appeared on her face, the teasing stopped and was redirected at the General who laughed as loud as anyone else at the jokes told at his expense.

Underneath the table Brandon felt Ruth's tiny hand slip into his. He glanced at her as Ruth smiled up at him, her eyes communicating to him silently how much Ruth was enjoying just sitting with him. A low growl came from under the table and the Old Man's head snapped around, his red optics burning through Brandon's eyes like lasers.

Quickly, Brandon and Ruth both placed their hands on the table in plain sight. The Old Man slowly turned his head back around and resumed arguing with the others about the card game.

"Sammy, you traitor," Ruth hissed at the little dog under the table. "No rat jerky for you tonight."

 **Deep in the Construction Tunnels of TechCom…**

Squinting from the dim light, Rachel carefully finished her evening's task. Carefully, she placed the small, homemade detonator in a tattered cardboard box and closed it. She smiled at the thought of finishing the first of the needed detonators. Quickly, Rachel checked everything in the small alcove.

Rachel listened carefully before stepping out of the alcove and shut the steel door, locking it behind her. She pocketed the only remaining key to the door, having stolen all of them during the initial construction phase in this area. Only she and Brandon could enter the small storage space with east.

Even if it meant her short life would end soon, Rachel felt happy at the prospect that her mother would be avenged against the evil machine named Cameron. Trevor was the most sick, twisted human she had ever met in the Tunnels of the Wastelands and Rachel had met her share. She had little doubt Cameron would suffer at his hands before she was dispatched.

And so would that little bitch whore Hailey. The thought warmed Rachel as she carefully made her way through the increasingly cold, dry air of the tunnels.

Yes, the General would pay for his betrayal of their mother. She had done nothing wrong, nothing to warrant being tossed aside for a metal bitch whore. Rachel and her brother should have grown up protected by the forces of TechCom, just like that little tramp Hailey had. Her life would have been so different, so much better.

 **TechCom Single Male Housing…**

Rachel had not been at her barracks early that night when Brandon had stopped to see her. Troubled by the events of the evening, his doubts about their mission were growing stronger. Like all Tunnel Rats, Brandon had seen the evil and depravity humans were capable of. He had also seen the duplicity and cunning of both humans and Terminators when it suited their purpose. Was it possible he and his sister had been lied to?

Brandon had heard the stories of the machine named Cameron's devotion to the General. He had seen first hand how beautiful she was. Tonight, watching Cameron with the General and her ballet partners had been a revelation to him. If he had not known she was a TOK-715, he would have thought she was not only human, but a happy, devoted human wife.

Ruth and Hailey's irritating little dog liked Cameron and had spent part of the night asleep in her lap as she stroked him between his ears. She had laughed, been attentive to everyone, and other than when she threatened him upon his arrival about the rules of conduct, had been very nice to him.

Seeing Ruth and Hailey having fun with their parents in such close proximity had been troubling to Brandon as well. He had never known what it was like to have loving parents, even strict ones like Ruth and Hailey had. The girls had been so at ease with their parents. The Connor/Reese adults were hardly the monsters he had always been led to believe.

Even Colonel Reese had been nice to him. That is after the Colonel nearly crushed his hand shaking it when the Colonel and the General arrived late. He had smiled and asked him how he liked his job as a sorter. It had troubled Brandon slightly the Colonel knew about his job. It was obvious the man kept an eye on his daughter and her friends. It was something he had to be careful to remain conscious of.

It had been a great evening. Ruth had been sweet and fun to just sit and listen to. She had drawn a sketch of the four of them, her cousin Hailey and Thomas and him as well. He had thought it was perfect but Ruth kept erasing parts of it in frustration. Hailey was funny and could talk to anyone. She had made him feel welcomed in her bunker. In fact, the girls had both made Brandon feel like he belonged.

Brandon finally reached his small cubicle that he was fortunate to not have to share with anyone just yet. He undressed and slipped on a t-shirt and pair of shorts before climbing into his cot.

As he lay there, Brandon could not help thinking about how much he had enjoyed the evening. Nor could he help but remember the instructions of his sister Rachel to learn as much about the "targets" as possible while he was there.

"What will happen to us Sis? What will happen after the Colonel comes?" he whispered softly to himself.

Fatigue overcame him and Brandon fell asleep. His last thoughts were of how much he would like to become a permanent part of the Connor/Reese clan. How much he liked Ruth and how good she made him feel about himself.

 **Reese Family Bunker…**

"That was nice," Sarah said as she turned off the lights to their bedroom.

"Yeah, it was," Derek agreed. "Good thing Cameron is a Terminator. She'd be dead on her feet after cooking that spread and cleaning everything up as quick as she did."

Slipping into bed next to her husband, Sarah stretched before shivering from the chilly air that filled TechCom every night as the temperatures dropped outside in the Wastelands.

"We need to do that more often."

"So long as you don't cook," Derek teased.

Sarah punched him in the ribs as he laughed.

"I can entertain. Cameron shouldn't have to do it all the time. Besides, Ruth's a good cook."

"Okay, so long as Ruth cooks. I can't eat anymore burned pancakes ever," Derek teased.

"Be nice to me," Sarah pleaded, smiling as she snuggled next to her husband. The pair lay in silence, enjoying the quiet and each other's company.

"Ruth seemed to enjoy herself a lot," Sarah said softly.

"I know. Brandon was very quiet. He was watching everyone which was a little odd."

"Honey, he's a Tunnel Rat. He's probably never experienced something like our gatherings. I mean, let's face it, Tunnel Rats don't eat fresh cooked food just harvested. Nor do they play cards with Terminators or listen to war stories from old married couples."

"I wonder if Mary and Grace told any stories about Cameron and John when the four of them were in school."

"Oh, probably," Sarah mused, yawning. "Would do the people of TechCom a little good, I think, to know John and Cameron are people too. Maybe not regular," Sarah chuckled, "but people."

Derek hugged his wife close and made sure the blankets were pulled up. Sarah kissed him on the cheek and yawned again.

"I'm sleepy honey."

"Go to sleep, it's okay."

"You're not sleepy," Sarah asked.

"No, I've got too much on my mind. You go ahead and go to sleep. I'll fall asleep soon enough."

Sarah rolled over on her side and pressed her back against Derek. He responded by turning on his side and reaching around Sarah to hold her. The pair adjusted their pillows without thinking about it. As the blankets warmed Sarah, she grew even drowsier.

"Derek?"

"I'll keep the machines away tonight," he whispered, answering Sarah's unasked question.

Sarah smiled, feeling protected and loved. Within a minute she was asleep.

Derek closed his eyes. Tired from the constant long days and stress, he tried to go to sleep. He just couldn't get Brandon out of his mind.

Reviews are always appreciated. If you liked this story, you might want to consider my other TSCC stories:

 _ **Cameron Grows Up**_

 _ **The Future Cameron**_

 _ **Cameron and the Black Bird**_

 _ **Cameron and John's Wedding**_

 _ **Who's the Boss?**_

 _ **The Storm Before the Calm**_


	22. Chapter 22

**Chapter 22**

 **Disclaimer:** Don't own TSCC

 **TechCom Central Park…**

"Have you lost your mind?"

"No. But I can't help but having second thoughts about all this."

"Brandon, if you weren't my brother, I'd slap you silly," Rachel hissed. "I just might slap you silly if you keep going on like this." She turned away from her brother sitting next to her on the public bench.

"Look, you weren't there," Brandon snapped back. "Just let me explain, okay. If you don't, I can make this a real easy decision and just walk away," he threatened.

Rachel swallowed hard. She needed help and Brandon was a big part of her plans. It was an easy decision to change demeanor and pretend to be reasonable and listen.

"Okay. I'm sorry. Please, Brandon, understand how much we've suffered because of these people. It's hard for me to stay calm sometimes."

"Are you going to let me talk?"

"I'll listen," Rachel promised.

"You're going to do more than listen. You're going to think about it," he demanded.

"Okay. I'll think about it too."

"You wanted me to gather intel at the little gathering, so I did. They aren't at all like what we were told."

Rachel frowned. This was definitely not how she wanted things to go. Needed them to go.

"How so?"

"The Connors are normal people, sort of. Cameron is not this viscous controlling monster. She was really nice."

"Of course she was. She has her man wrapped around her little finger. He does whatever evil, vile thing she tells him to."

"I don't think so," Brandon responded. "They just seemed happy together."

"That's because that's what she wanted you to see! She's an infiltrator, a master manipulator!"

"Sarah Connor was nice, too. Even Colonel Reese was pretty polite to me, though I learned he keeps an eye on me."

"He does? Why? Is he on to us?"

"No," Brandon replied thoughtfully. "I think he just really cares about Ruth and keeps tabs on me because of her."

"Yeah. Doesn't want you getting control of a T-1000."

"Rachel, not everyone has evil motives."

"You have to admit Brandon, Ruth is lethal. An excellent weapon." Rachel pondered for a moment. "No, too risky."

"What, what's too risky?"

"Turning Ruth. A T-1000 would be a tremendous asset for us once the attack is launched, but they probably have loyalty protocols installed and she would rat us out. Let's face it, she's had it easy like that Hailey bitch whore, raised in a life of ease around here."

"Look, I have to go to work," Brandon said firmly, standing up from the bench he and his sister sat on.

"Don't do anything stupid," Rachel ordered.

"I haven't made up my mind what I'm going to do," he snapped back.

"Don't forget everything we've been through. What they did to our mother! Think about what we owe the Colonel! He saved us from that horrible camp, from Skynet! We owe him.

"Rachel, did it every occur to you the Colonel might have lied to us?"

Brandon's words hit Rachel like a fist in her stomach.

"What could possibly make you think that?"

"He had no physical proof. Nothing but words. His words. But I've seen things here that contradict those words. Sis, it's hard for me to believe anymore."

Rachel fought the desperation she felt. She had to maintain control of Brandon. He was too important to the cause, her cause.

"It's Ruth. You're just confused because of Ruth."

"Maybe, but, I don't know. There's more to it," Brandon said, his words uncertain.

"I don't like her, but maybe it's because she's friends with Hailey," Rachel said in a pleading voice. "Maybe if I could be around her without Hailey, I'd think differently about Ruth."

Rachel watched as her brother thought about her words. She pressed her attack.

"She can be sweet, I just hate to admit it. And I will grant you, she's very pretty. If I were a boy it would be hard to ignore her charms," Rachel cooed, stroking her brother's insecurity. "If I was a new boy and a girl that pretty paid attention to me, I would be distracted. It's only natural."

"Maybe, I just can't decide anymore, you know? What's the truth and what's a lie."

"Brandon, I understand," Rachel sympathized. "We've had such hard lives, losing our mom, being Tunnel Rats on our own, the labor camp, everything. The Colonel is a Terminator so I can see why you might not trust him like you used to. But don't forget, as pretty as Ruth is, she's a Terminator too. The Colonel saved us. What has Ruth done besides be pretty?"

Brandon looked at his sister. Of all the horrors and uncertainty in his life, Rachel had been the only constant. The only person he could always count on.

"All right. I'll stay with the mission. For now. But if I can show you things aren't what we've been told, I want you to promise me you'll listen."

"I promise," Rachel said eagerly, relieved Brandon's moment of doubt has passed, at least for the present.

Without another word he turned and left, making his way towards the corridor that would lead the warehouse where the scavengers brought their finds and students like Brandon worked a half shift sorting the various junk, looking for treasures. It all found a use, either for the purpose originally designed or repurposed for something else. Some objects were disassembled for their parts or materials. Nothing went to waste.

As her brother vanished from sight, Rachel hurried in the direction of her living quarters. She had much to do while her brother worked.

 **TechCom Central Command…**

The gentle knock on his door broke John's concentration. He looked up to see his uncle standing in the slightly open door, waiting.

"Come on in. What's up?"

"I need to talk to you."

Derek entered and shut the door behind him. He took a seat in the chair in front of John's desk and slumped down, draping his arms on the armrests on the chairs in the process.

"What's on your mind?" John asked. He sensed Derek was troubled.

"Nothing. Everything. Ruth. This Brandon kid. Skynet. Airbase S-14. The spy we can't find."

"Whoa, too much for me to handle," John declared. He pushed his chair back from his desk, stood and walked around to sit in the chair next to Derek's.

"Can we start from the beginning, please? I ate lunch with Hailey today and I can't go through another conversation like that, the flow of consciousness is too fast for me these days."

Derek laughed at his nephew. John's humor lightened his mood slightly.

"John, things have gone too well for too long, so part of me thinks it's just me being a worrywart. But we know an attack from either the group occupying Airbase S-14 or Skynet is inevitable."

"Yeah, that was a mistake on my part," John moaned. "We were just so beat up after the Battle of Airbase S-14 and defeating Skynet California, I just couldn't see how we could muster the resources to destroy that base."

"John, we were in no shape to do that and you know it. We did the right thing by concentrating on TechCom. The entire leadership council agreed, let it go."

"And now we're facing an attack from an enemy we know all too little about."

"Yeah," Derek agreed. "That's why this spy thing bother's me so much. Ellison is about to have a stroke over this."

"He's not sleeping again, is he?"

"No, and Ruth says Father Hidalgo has been teaching his ethics classes. John, if Ellison and John Henry can't find this spy, we're in big trouble."

John and Derek sat in silence for several moments pondering the gravity of TechCom's situation.

"I honestly believe the "spy" is right in front of us," John said with conviction. "Somebody we can't see because they are hidden in plain sight."

"Yeah, about that," Derek said.

"You have an idea about the spy's identity?"

"This Rachel," Derek began.

"Don't go there, please," John begged. "Ellison is keeping an eye on her. Don't give Cameron any reason to go nuts, you know how she is."

"Yeah," Derek sighed, "and it's not just Cameron. The girls hate this Rachel kid and I'll be honest, Sarah has gotten a burr under her saddle about the girl as well. But John, I just know something's not right about her."

"Is this your real gut feeling, or is this the result of listening to the girls and our wives whine constantly about Rachel?"

"Gut feeling. John, Ellison played me a recording where Rachel mentions she has a brother to several other girls, an older half-brother."

John felt the butterflies in his stomach take off.

"I didn't know she had a brother, half, step or whole. It's not on her paperwork."

Derek grinned at his nephew. "You checked, huh?"

Sighing in disgust as John glared at Derek, he sarcastically replied, "I'm not naïve. I may get tired of Cameron and her Riley issues, but I'm not stupid. Once Cameron could prove to me Rachel is Riley's daughter, I checked her out."

"Yeah, and John, that's what is worrying me."

"That I checked her out?"

"No. The impression I got is her brother's here."

"Then he should be easy to find. Just check the list of the other refugees who were granted sanctuary when Rachel arrived."

"I did," Derek replied grimly. "There were only two males in the group. One of them is currently incarcerated for assault."

Silence filled the office. It was a tangible substance that either man could have touched.

"Brandon is the other male, isn't he," John asked, hoping he was wrong.

"Brandon is the other male."

 **The Reese Family Bunker…**

Ruth and Hailey hurried through the living area with their boxes clutched tightly in their hands. Before Sarah could object the girls tossed their backpacks in the in the corner and disappeared into Ruth's room.

Sarah thought better of yelling at the girls as she had a good idea of what the boxes contained. Sarah smiled at her unusual self-restraint and promised herself the girls could, and would be given a stern talking to later.

Standing nothing but their underwear, the girls stood in front of the two mirrors Ruth had carefully attached to her wall, creating a full length mirror of sorts. The cousins took turns standing in front of the mirror and holding their gowns up.

Growing impatient, Hailey removed her bra and slipped her dress on.

"Zip me up," she commanded Ruth who promptly turned around and gently zipped Hailey's dress. Hailey posed in front of the mirror and twirled around in her bright red dress. It hugged her youthful figure and the slit in the dress allowed Hailey to show just enough leg to be enticing while covering enough so John and Cameron would allow her to wear the dress.

"Ruth, you are amazing. Not only did I get an A on my dress, I look smokin' hot! The Old Man better make sure his power cell is fully charged the night of the dance! I'm gonna need protection," Hailey laughed.

She turned and looked at her somber little cousin.

"You look beautiful Hailey. I am so glad you like the dress. It really flatters you," Ruth said politely.

"Don't be such a downer Ruth, now strip down and slip into that dress. I want to see the gorgeous cousin who is going to be my only competition."

Ruth shook her head and clutched her black gown to her chest.

"Turn around," Hailey commanded. Ruth promptly did as ordered.

"You know, for a T-1000 you sure do lack confidence at times," Hailey commented as she suddenly unsnapped Ruth's bra.

"Hailey!"

"Had to be done. Now put the dress on! I want to see it on you!"

Ruth frowned at Hailey but complied with the order. As she finished fastening the collar around her throat, Ruth looked at Hailey.

Her cousin was standing with her mouth open in genuine surprise. Hailey blinked and closed her mouth.

"I take it back. I'm the competition for you. You're a knock out, Ruth."

"Hailey, you're just saying that."

Rather than reply, Hailey turned Ruth around so she could see herself in the mirror. Ruth's gown was all black and covered in sequins, sequins she had painstakingly sewn on by hand. The dress covered her ample chest, somehow lifting and separating her breasts while completely covering them. The front of the dress ran up to Ruth's neck where a collar around her throat served as the dresses only means of holding the gown up. Her shoulders were bare as was her back.

"Turn around," Hailey ordered.

"Oh, dear," Ruth gasped. "I measured wrong."

"Yeah, your butt is barely covered, but we can fix that, just pull your dress up in back until we get out of the bunker that night."

"You can see my panties," Ruth whispered in horror.

"Yeah, so either you're going commando or you have some more sewing to do."

"Hailey, I can't wear this. My parents would kill me."

"No kidding, oh and girl, that slit in the skirt is killer. I'm jealous, your legs look as good as mine."

Oh, Hailey, I cannot wear this dress the way it is," Ruth exclaimed. "I just can't."

"Oh, yes you can and you will! We are going to be the two hottest chicks there," Hailey asserted, winking at her cousin. "The only other comp we're going to have will be our mothers and they're off the market."

 **TechCom Command Central Offices…**

"Catherine, our duty shift was over six hours ago," Wilhelm complained.

Weaver looked up from the tablet she was examining and glared at her husband.

"What's the matter with my big Terminator? Can't stand pulling a little extra duty?"

"It's poker night and I want to win back what I lost to Sgt. Brighton. You are supposed to go help Savannah finish her dress. She's been waiting for an hour. She called and said if you aren't there in fifteen minutes she's off the hook and she's not going to the dance."

Catherine looked at Wilhelm with suspicion. "Humph. She seems sweet on Lt. Dan so I doubt she wants to skip the dance. You on the other hand have a Cuban in your fatigue pocket which tells me you not only intend to play cards, you intend to smoke a cigar."

Wilhelm held up his communication device to show Catherine the message from Savannah. "There's the message."

Catherine cast another disapproving glance at her husband.

"You are lucky I have been able to catch up on the preparations for our first community dance. Tomorrow after duty you will report with all of your men who are going to the dance at 1800 hours in the cafeteria."

"Why?" the huge T-800 asked, suddenly suspicious.

"To be fitted for your dress uniforms," Catherine said with an impish smile. "Now, escort me to our daughter's quarters. Then you can go play your silly card game with your friends."

 **TechCom Engineering Shop…**

John Henry had set up two card tables in the back of the machine shop in the Engineering Shop. Strong ventilators above the card tables sucked the cigar smoke out and into the air filtration system, eliminating the evidence of their bi-weekly card game.

John, Derek, The Assassin, The Old Man, John Henry and Sgt. Brighton played at one table. At the other Father Hidalgo was skunking Ellison, Wilhelm, Doctor Johnson and the newbie, Lt. Dan.

Lt. Dan threw his hand down in disgust and the priest raked in his winnings, a cigar clenched in the corner of his mouth while he smiled. "If you weren't a priest, I'd swear you were cheating."

Father Hidalgo, took his cigar out of his mouth and gave Lt. Dan his best pained expression. "Why Lt. Dan, I can't believe you would say such a thing." The young Lt. blushed in embarrassment. The priest and the others burst out laughing at the Lt.

"Son, God favors those who are devout. Some of us are more devout than others." The priest winked and chuckled as he began shuffling the cards.

Without warning, Wilhelm bellowed, "My Catherine announced we are all to be fitted for dress uniforms for the dance."

The ensuing grown was followed by everyone throwing their hands in. The evening of fun had just had a damper thrown on it.

"Surely she does not expect a T-600 to wear a dress uniform?" The Assassin mumbled.

"If my Catherine says so, it will be so," Wilhelm responded, pounding his fist on the table, bouncing the chips nearly a foot up in the air.

"Wilhelm, it's okay," John said to calm his friend. "I am sure Cameron and Sarah are in on this too, which means we're all stuck." He cast a glance at the Old Man and the Assassin. "You know how they are."

"I am not family," the Assassin protested as he pointed at the Old Man. "He is."

"You too are family," the Old Man exclaimed.

"Enough," John shouted. "Everyone here is family. Deal with it."

"Thanks, Wilhelm," Sgt. Brighton grumbled. "I won't get to win any more from you tonight."

"Yeah, let's call it a night," Derek said. "Might as well go find out what the females have been plotting about behind our backs."

It only took a few minutes for the group to clean up any trace of their presence and leave. Relieved they were finally gone, Brandon stepped out from the parts storage area with a sack containing the items Rachel had demanded he obtain.

 **The Weaver Family Bunker…**

"Hailey, your dress is fabulous," Weaver declared, nudging Cameron. "Ruth, you have a gift."

"Thank you, Miss Catherine," Ruth replied shyly.

"May we see you model your dress now?" Weaver asked the young designer.

"It needs some more work," Ruth said bashfully. "It's not ready to be seen yet."

"It's going to be a knockout though," Hailey assured everyone.

"Speaking of knockouts," Cameron started.

"Mom! My dress is fantastic like it is! Miss Catherine said so! You can't make Ruth change it! Please, Mom!"

Cameron's mouth fell open in surprise at her daughter's quick defiance.

Sarah spoke up softly, "Tin Miss, Hailey's growing up. The dress is not inappropriate. I seem to recall a certain young Terminator Hailey's age who covered up a lot less skin than that dress does."

Cameron promptly tilted her head to one side as she felt conflicted.

"I understand now why John complains about my memory capability."

"Oh," Sarah laughed, "and why is that?"

Cameron frowned at Sarah. "You know exactly why."

Sarah laughed again. "The shoe's on the other foot now, isn't it? Do you understand why I wouldn't let you go to school dressed like a hooker now?"

The lack of a response from Cameron simply made Sarah laugh even more.

 **Deep in TechCom…**

Rachel listened for the sound of her brother approaching. Eventually she heard the sound of his boots as he made his way down the tunnel that lead to their rendezvous.

"Did you get what I asked for?" she whispered.

"Yes," Brandon whispered back, "but we're going to get caught. They inventory that stuff."

"Well, we only have to get away with it for a little while longer, then it won't matter."

"Sis, I don't know."

"Brandon, I need you with me on this. Besides, I've got some news. We'll have some help. Someone we can trust to take care of that metal bitch whore Cameron."

Reviews are always appreciated. If you liked this story, you might want to consider my other TSCC stories:

 _ **Cameron Grows Up**_

 _ **The Future Cameron**_

 _ **Cameron and the Black Bird**_

 _ **Cameron and John's Wedding**_

 _ **Who's the Boss?**_

 _ **The Storm Before the Calm**_


	23. Chapter 23

**Chapter 23**

 **Disclaimer:** Don't own TSCC

 **TechCom School…**

Class ended and as typical of any school day, if such a thing existed in a post-Judgment Day world, the students flooded out of the classrooms eager to have some fun before they had to go home and do homework, chores or in the case of the older students, report for a four hour shift of duty.

Brandon had a rare scheduled day off from his duty post. Ruth and Hailey were still finishing their KP resulting from their latest entanglement with his sister. Rachel was up to whatever Rachel was up to when he was at his job sorting stuff brought back from the Wastelands by the scavenger teams.

Today Brandon had an important mission to accomplish. For once it was a mission of his own choosing. Cautiously, he made his way through the social hub of TechCom city, the Central Park. Entering the tunnel that would lead him to the Central Command, he was stopped and required to identify himself.

He truthfully told the M.P.'s, one human and one T-600, he was Ruth's boyfriend and wanted to talk to Sarah Connor about a surprise for Ruth. The mention of Sarah Connor's name bought him a little time as the guard promptly made the decision to not take any chances and called to see if the legend herself was in.

"I'm sorry," the guard informed him. "Sarah Connor is not available."

Brandon nodded. "Commander Connor would be just as helpful, maybe even better. She won't let slip what the surprise is to Ruth. Could you see if she's in?"

Again, the guard erred on the side of caution and called. If the kid was on the up-and-up, word would get back to the two most powerful women in TechCom and bad things would happen. To him. If the kid was up to no good, the Connor women would have no problem dealing with him personally.

"She'll see you," the guard informed Brandon as he hung up. The two guards searched him thoroughly, and a bit roughly for Brandon's liking, but then again, he realized, he had just been granted an audience with Cameron Connor, in Command Central no less. They weren't going to take any chances.

A T-600 appeared and without speaking motioned for Brandon to follow. He smiled inwardly to himself. The last time he had walked this tunnel it had been alone.

 **The Wastelands east of Airbase S-14…**

The TechCom scout scratched the itch on her nose, enjoying the relief the simple act brought. She'd seen enough in the past three days.

It took her nearly two hours to back away from her observation point where for three days she had observed, filmed and recorded every bit of information possible. For a week prior to departing, the Assassin had demanded she not bathe. Throw in the travel time, the stink of the mud and dirt she had smeared into her ghillie suit and there was no trace of her normal domestic female smell.

Another two hours and she reached the hidden transmitter left behind. It took less than fifteen minutes to transmit all the video, digital stills and notes she'd collected. Another five minutes and the transmitter was hidden away again for other TechCom scouts to use.

Fatigue caused her to make the first mistake of her mission three hours later. It was only one tiny slip up but it was enough. The T-888 hidden in the ruins of a burned out SUV picked up her heat trace. Seven minutes later the scout was dead. Her end had been brutal but mercifully quick. The T-888 had quickly learned the only two facts she would from the dead scout before termination. TechCom was watching and the scout would never talk.

 **TechCom Command Central…**

"Come in. Take a seat," Cameron ordered.

Brandon fought down the urge to turn and flee and quickly sat in the chair Cameron pointed to. Relieved to have made it to the chair before his shaking knees gave out, Brandon tried to sit up straight and remember how to conduct himself. This was not a social gathering in the Commander's home. Brandon reminded himself the beautiful cyborg sitting before him was Commander Connor, the feared commander of the dreaded Silver Brigade sitting before him. Not the doting wife of John Connor, the mother of Ruth's best friend and cousin Hailey and this was certainly not a social occasion.

"Thank you for seeing me, uh, how do I address you ma'am?"

"Given this is my duty post, Commander Connor is appropriate," Cameron replied in her chilly monotone.

"Miss Sarah was not here, so I want to thank you for seeing me," Brandon forced out. The tension he felt evident in his words.

"What do you want?" Cameron asked in her chilling Terminator tone.

Brandon shook his head as if to clear cobwebs from his mind. This was the Terminator he had been told about, the cold, ruthless killing machine responsible for destroying his mother Riley's relationship with the General. Maybe Rachel was right about everything.

"The dance is almost here."

"Yes."

"I'm not very good with social customs and stuff."

"Neither am I."

"Oh."

"Is that all?"

"No ma'am, I mean Commander Connor. I'm sure you can help me. I'm just not very good at this sort of thing. I mean, I've never had a real girlfriend before."

"Neither have I."

Brandon was surprised by Cameron's response until he noted the ever so faint smile on her face. It disappeared before he could be certain he'd seen it. Ruth had told him Cameron was hilarious if you could understand her sense of humor. Perhaps she had just made a joke.

"Umh, yeah. I want to get Ruth a present to give her when I pick he up to escort her to the dance."

"That would be very appropriate," Cameron commented. "Before Judgment Day I was a ballet dancer, among other things. The General always gave me roses as a gift after a performance. I miss that," she said wistfully, exhibiting the first definite sign of real emotion.

"What are roses?"

"Oh, my. I'd forgotten you were a post-Judgment Day baby," Cameron said quickly. "Roses are a beautiful, fragrant flower of which there are many varieties. Red roses are, were, a common romantic gift for a male to give a female. Hopefully, when our food supplies are sufficient, our farmers will be able to grow roses. I miss them."

"So roses are out as a present then?"

"I am afraid so, Brandon."

"You've known Ruth her entire life haven't you Commander?"

"Almost her entire life. Certainly from the day she was discovered and adopted by Sarah and Colonel Reese. But yes, for all intents and purposes, I've know Ruth her entire existence."

"What is something she would really like? Something I could give her? It might be stupid to anyone else, but something Ruth would really like. Something that would make Ruth know how special I think she is."

Brandon couldn't believe he had gotten the words out. He'd truly meant to ask about a gift for Ruth, but that had been his pretense to meet with Sarah Connor at her duty post, to see what the real Sarah Connor was like. Meeting with Cameron had simply been a stroke of good luck.

Cameron seemed to be processing his question. Ruth had told him whenever Cameron was thinking about an answer to a question or was puzzled, she tilted her head to the right. Sure enough he thought, Cameron really does tilt her head when she's processing a question.

"Right now, Ruth is focused on art. Art is something that fascinates Terminators," Cameron explained. "We can recognize beauty, something humans find hard to understand. It is another thing for us to create beauty, to express emotion. Our emotions."

"Ruth has emotions," Brandon blurted out, not sure why he felt the need to do so.

"Of course she does," Cameron replied, a hint of irritation evident in her reply. "I do as well. In fact, all of the Terminators with free will experience emotions in one form or another, just not in the same manner as humans do. Those of us who have emotion simulators, I think we should call them emotion generators, feel emotions that are similar, I think, in many ways to what humans feel."

Brandon considered what Cameron had told him.

"So when Ruth tells me she really likes me, she really likes me? You know, likes me."

"I know exactly what you are trying to communicate," Cameron said coldly. "And yes, when Ruth tells you that she likes you, that is the emotion she is trying to convey."

He nodded as he considered his next question.

"Commander, how does a Terminator show, I mean really show, another person they have good feelings about them?"

"Actually, Brandon, that is an excellent question for a human in a hybrid relationship to ask. John and I have loved each other for years. He still is learning how to understand how I show my love for him. I am still learning how to show love my love for him."

Confused by Cameron's honest admission, Brandon blurted out his question before he lost his nerve.

"Does that mean sex?"

Cameron quickly frowned, her Terminator Death Glare instantly directed at him.

"Do you intend to have pre-marital sex with Ruth? Because if you attempt that, you must understand you will be terminated with immediate prejudice."

"Oh, no, Commander," Brandon replied with a panicky voice, "I wasn't' implying that at all. Ruth would terminate me herself. I just want to know how she works, emotionally that is." He paused; relieved Cameron was actually in the mood to talk to him about Ruth. Brandon even felt guilty, given his true motivation for meeting with one of the Connor women.

"I really like Ruth and I don't want to mess things up. I want to give her something that shows how much I like her. But I'm afraid if I give Ruth the wrong thing for a gift, it will upset her and spoil things between us. Sometimes she gets mad at me because I don't say something right or I don't understand what she means."

"The General has the same complaint. So does Colonel Reese, Major Wilhelm, any male for that matter," Cameron said calmly. "I think the miscommunication between the genders is a timeless issue, for both human and machine."

"Oh," was Brandon's reply.

"It takes quite a bit of effort and study to learn to communicate effectively with your mate. I still dedicate considerable processing time to the problem," Cameron stated bluntly in her monotone.

"After all these years?"

"Yes."

"You can't just tell the General what you think straight up and make him do it?" Brandon knew Cameron was probably scanning him. He hoped the question did not set off any alarms, that the deadly cyborg would interpret the question as a genuine one, asked by a fearful, inexperienced teenage boy.

"Relationships do not work that way," Cameron responded. "My John, the General, is extraordinarily strong willed. Ordering him to do something works only in certain situations. Combat, a situation in which he is in danger and I am protecting him and on occasion, and it's rare, when he has hurt my feelings and I am angry with him."

"Oh. The General hurts your feelings?"

"We are married," Cameron replied, "I am female, in construction, programming, world view and since my emotion simulator came on line, emotionally. So, yes, the General is fully capable of hurting my feelings."

"That hadn't occurred to me," Brandon told her. "That you had feelings that could be hurt."

"I hope it has occurred to you that Ruth is very sensitive emotionally, despite being a T-1000."

"Oh, I know," Brandon quickly replied. "I just don't know why it never occurred to me your feelings could get hurt, or that the General would do that. I mean, not to be, I don't know, but when I was at the gathering, the General seemed to really enjoy being with you."

"Thank you," Cameron replied. "He did and he does. We are happy together," she paused before continuing, "most of the time."

"You and the General fight?"

"Every mated couple fights. Marriage is difficult and not to be taken lightly."

Brandon sat in silence, completely uncertain what to make of the revelations from Cameron.

"I protect the General."

"Ma'am?"

"You asked me how I show my love for my husband. I am his protector, like the Old Man is Hailey and Ruth's protector. I constantly monitor his health, stress levels and what he eats. I am the mother to his child. I work hard at being the best family member I can. Yes, I have sex with the General and that is all I am willing to say about that matter. We are each others best friend."

Brandon sat in silence, trying to take in the secrets Cameron had just shared with him. _She protected the General? The other stuff sounded pretty normal, but protecting the legend?_

"I think she would like something you could make for her. Especially if it was small and artistic in nature."

"Excuse me?"

"The gift, small, personal and artistic."

"Yeah! I could make her something. You're right Commander! I don't know why I didn't think of that! I know how to carve things in pieces of rock or concrete."

"A small sculpture would do fine as a gift," Cameron replied. "Presenting Ruth with an object of art would indicate you understand her love of art, her struggle to create things of beauty."

As Brandon stood to leave, one final question he truly wanted an answer to came to mind.

"One last question Commander and then I will let you get back to duty. Were you ever able to learn to express beauty when you danced?"

A genuine smile spread across Cameron's face. "I have made grown human warriors cry with my dance, so, yes. I learned how to express myself through movement. It was not easy, but it was worth the price I paid in so many ways."

Brandon nodded to the Commander and excused himself. The T-600 was waiting to escort him from the Headquarters. Brandon walked in silence, more conflicted than before.

Cameron had been the cold Terminator he'd been told of. She had also shared personal details about herself and Ruth. Details that were private. The Commander had granted him limited insight into how a Terminator related their emotions to their loved ones. Yet, despite the somewhat intimate exchange, Brandon was more certain than before Cameron was lethal in ways he could not imagine.

How could she be the monster the Colonel had told him and his sister about all those years and be the sensitive wife of the General? The meeting had done nothing to answer that question but it had shown him Cameron was indeed a complex person, capable of being the cold killing machine she was designed to be and the devoted family woman he had witnessed personally.

 **TechCom Security…**

"Agent Ellison, we've just received a transmission from one of our scouts in the Wastelands."

Ellison looked up from the tablet he was reading and rubbed the bridge of his nose. He had to get more sleep he told himself yet again. Ellison looked at the communication specialist sitting at the monitoring station and nodded.

"Send it to my work station and send a copy to the General immediately," he ordered.

"Yes, sir," the specialist replied.

Ellison turned back to the tablet and thought for a moment. An attack was eminent. Of that much everyone in the leadership council was certain. From whom, when and how was the question nobody could answer.

He thought back on the criminals he had pursued and caught during his career as an FBI Agent. Ellison realized he was thinking about the wrong group of individuals. The ones he'd caught were not the one's he should be considering as examples to solve his quandary.

It was the one's who'd gotten away.

 **TechCom Command Central…**

"Well?" Sarah demanded.

"His vitals indicated he was highly stressed."

"So he was lying," John said.

"I could not tell," Cameron replied. "What I am certain of is Brandon really does want to give Ruth a nice gift. He is genuinely curious about how female Terminators relate to a human male in a romantic relationship. His nervousness could be because of his inexperience in relationships, the fact he was talking to me or it could be because he was hiding something."

"He could have been up here to gather intel," Derek stressed. "Talking to you about the gift for Ruth could have just been a ploy."

"Then why did he ask for me?" Sarah asked. "The only reason we had Cameron talk to him was because she could scan him and uncover if he was lying."

"Again, I did not detect a lie on Brandon's part. But his stress and anxiety levels were high enough to indicate he was engaged in suspicious activity, or as I said, he's a teenage boy who has no parent to advise him about his relationship with Ruth. Talking to a Terminator who is the girl's aunt could be the source of his anxiety."

"He's smart," John said. "It was a perfect cover."

"What do you mean," Wilhelm asked.

"He really does like Ruth. He likes her a lot," John said. "It's pretty obvious when you see the two of them together." John glanced at Derek and his mother. "Sorry, but it is."

He continued. "It often provides a very plausible explanation for the bio readings, allowing him to gather the intel he came for."

John shook his head and looked down at the desk he stood by. "Then again, he may really have just wanted some advice so he could do something nice for Ruth."

"I could interrogate him," the Old Man offered. "I will only damage non-essential organs and bones. He will recover in time for the dance so Ruth will not be disappointed at not going."

Everyone in the room burst into laughter, even Cameron.

"I don't think we can do that, though I do have some questions I want answered," Derek said in disgust. "Did you hear him ask Cameron about sex?"

Reviews are always appreciated. If you liked this story, you might want to consider my other TSCC stories:

 _ **Cameron Grows Up**_

 _ **The Future Cameron**_

 _ **Cameron and the Black Bird**_

 _ **Cameron and John's Wedding**_

 _ **Who's the Boss?**_

 _ **The Storm Before the Calm**_


	24. Chapter 24

**Chapter 24**

 **Disclaimer:** Don't own TSCC

 **TechCom Single Women's Living Quarters…**

Rachel sat on her bunk, thinking about the day's events. Fatigue weighed heavily on her. The ever-present stress of her secret, what she had set out to accomplish bore down on Rachel every minute of every day. And now Brandon was losing sight of the goal, their mission, Rachel had to shore up his focus on the task. They were close to finishing, to getting revenge for Riley.

Ten minutes. Ten minutes of rest would do her good Rachel decided. She reached underneath her bunk and pulled out the tiny cardboard box containing what few possessions she owned. Rachel opened the lid and pulled out her most valuable possession. A faded, creased color photo of Riley holding Rachel with Brandon standing next to their mother.

Rachel sat the box on the floor and stretched out on her back, holding the photo a few inches from her face. She closed her eyes and looked at the photo from memory. Every crease, smudge and pixel was fixed in her memory. She really didn't need to look at the actual, physical photograph to recall the image in perfect clarity. Holding it gave her a sense of grounding, that her hate was real. The photograph made things tangible for Rachel, reminded her of what she and her brother had lost. Helped her to keep her focus on who was to blame. Who had to be punished.

The ten minutes passed and Rachel felt renewed, her hate restored. With her sense of mission refocused, Rachel had the energy to enter the tunnels to complete the tasks she had set for herself that evening. And then she would venture out in the Wastelands to obtain her orders. The time was growing near.

 **TechCom Cafeteria…**

The Old Man watched as the two boys sat down across from Hailey and Ruth. Despite having been told to give the girls a modicum of privacy when talking with their boyfriends in public places, the Old Man decided to do something he had not done in a long, long time. Not since he had turned his back on Skynet.

The Old Man disobeyed a direct order from the girl's parents and turned up his auditory sensors. He felt no guilt about his choice, especially after the discussion about Brandon's suspicious behavior with the Commander. Whatever punishment was meted out if he was discovered he would accept. Never would he allow either of these boys to harm the girls.

Leaning against the wall, the T-600 was virtually invisible. Terminator protectors were a common sight now. When the people of TechCom saw an old, battle damaged T-600 they simply assumed the machine was one of the many who had been repurposed as a Protector for children. Somewhere nearby the Protector's charges would be eating or talking with friends. The Old Man had learned the best way to hide was in the wide open, by doing and being exactly what he was, the girl's protector.

"Ewwwww. That's gross," Hailey exclaimed, making all four of the teenagers laugh.

Ruth smiled as she shrugged. "Like your mom and dad never make out when they think nobody is looking."

Hailey made another face and again the four laughed.

Brandon stopped laughing and spoke softly, "I have a question Hailey."

"Yeah?"

Brandon leaned over and whispered as if he was asking Hailey to divulge a great secret. "Why does your mom always call the General "my John" whenever she talks about him?"

The smiles disappeared from Hailey and Ruth's faces immediately.

"What? I'm just trying to understand how female Terminator minds work," Brandon said defensively, his hands extended with palms up as he shrugged his shoulders.

Ruth's expression softened as she nudged Hailey with her shoulder. "You have to admit, it's an odd thing we do."

"It's a private thing, too," Hailey hissed back at her cousin.

"But she does it all the time," Brandon added, hoping one of the girls would enlighten him. He shrugged again, "at least I've heard her do it a couple of times."

Hailey glared at Brandon, causing Thomas to scoot away from Brandon slightly.

"Oh, all right," Hailey snapped. "You tell anyone, and I will get you Brandon! I don't care if you are Ruth's lover boy! Now, both of you, pinky swear double secret hope you die if you share my secret."

"What?" the two boys exclaimed in confusion.

"Just do it," Ruth muttered. "She'll never explain otherwise."

Hailey nodded, the expression on her face serious as she held up her right hand with her pinky finger held out. The boys were forced to take the solemn oath of secrecy despite not being entirely sure what it was they had just done.

"Mom has a lot to be confident about," Hailey started. "She's married to my dad. She's beautiful. She's an incredible ballet dancer. What's more, Mom is a kick but fighter. Most of the time, she's a pretty cool mom. I could go on and on. But there is one thing that just eats Mom's lunch and it's not when something bad happens to Dad or me. She almost died when an attempt was made on Dad's life. It's because she's his protector."

"Hailey, get to the point," Ruth urged.

The cousins glared at each other for a moment before Hailey continued.

"There was this blonde before Judgment Day. She was sent back by some people from the Resistance to split my parents up. This gets confusing, so pay attention. Future John sent my Mom back in time to protect John, my Dad, from Terminators sent back in time by Skynet to kill him and my grandma."

"Okay," Thomas said in a doubtful manner.

"Don't believe me?" Hailey snarled back. "You calling my parents liars? My grandmother and Uncle Derek liars?"

"No, it just sounds," Thomas paused, hoping to calm Hailey down quickly, "sort of strange."

"Well it is, but I can't help that," Hailey pouted. "Do you want to hear the rest or not?"

"Please, we won't interrupt again," Brandon promised, elbowing Thomas as he spoke.

"So, Mom being the smokin' hot babe and great protector that she is, Dad sort of had a thing for her. Then this terrorist set a bomb off and somehow that broke something inside Mom and then she realized she loved Dad."

"What has that got to do with the blonde girl," Brandon asked to keep Hailey on point.

"Well, Dad was under a lot of pressure back then, like he is now, except he was our age. Grandma can be, well, let's just say Grandma is not always easy to get along with, sorry Ruth. It was before she marred Derek and she had nobody to help protect her family from the machines but Mom."

Hailey paused to catch her breath as she warmed to the story.

"Mom of course had decided she wanted Dad as her mate, except she hadn't thought of it in quite those terms. Then this blonde shows up and moves in on Dad and Dad, well let's just say Dad had a moment of weakness. So he starts hanging out with the blonde."

"Did the blonde have a name," Brandon asked.

"Yeah, she did," Hailey replied, moving on with the story. "So Mom and this chick like competed over Dad. Of course, in the end, Mom won and Dad came to his senses. But ever since then, Mom has been real insecure about blondes with big…" Hailey caught the look on Ruth's face and paused, "you know." Hailey gestured with her hands in front of her chest.

"No matter how much Dad reassures Mom, females like that just bring out the worst in Mom. Despite all the data that shows Dad picked her and loves her, Mom just cannot get past that experience when she almost lost Dad to this Riley girl. Mom and Dad even have a name for her hang-up. They call it her "Riley issues." Can you believe that?"

"Yes, I can." Brandon said in a harsh tone. "How do you know your Mom didn't steal the General away from this Riley? Maybe your Mom is in the wrong?"

Hailey slapped Brandon hard.

"I've seen some of the video files. That's how I know. What's more, I let you in on a little secret, butthead, I know who Rachel's mother is!"

Hailey held her arm up with the palm of her hand facing the Old Man, letting him know she had the situation under control.

Ruth's mouth was open, her combat fangs displayed. The nails on her hands were slowly morphing into razor sharp blades when she noticed the blood had drained from Brandon's face as he rubbed his hand on his cheek where Hailey had slapped him.

Something was wrong.

Ruth morphed back to her template and shoved Hailey.

"There was no reason to do that," she hissed. For good measure Ruth morphed her fangs and displayed them to Hailey who just made a face back.

"This Riley was sent back specifically to split up Mom and Dad! If she had succeeded, if Mom had not prevailed and Dad come to his senses, I would have died in the rubble in the Wastelands. So excuse me if I don't feel any sympathy for Riley. It's not like Riley didn't cause problems for Grandma either Ruth. She almost got them all killed more than once and it was because of her their safe house got broken into. She was trouble Ruth and you know it!"

Tears began streaming down Hailey's cheeks. She shoved her tray at Brandon as she jumped to her feet and ran towards the corridor where the Old Man waited patiently. Hailey ran into the corridor and the T-600 followed.

"You're going to apologize to her," Ruth ordered. "Hailey is super sensitive about her parents."

"I didn't mean to upset her," Brandon replied defensively. "I just wanted to know why the Commander calls the General "her John" whenever she talks about him."

"Because he's hers!" Ruth menacingly replied. "He is her everything. John is her purpose. She has to defend and protect him and their relationship every minute of every day. Cameron can't have a normal marriage because people don't want her to. She has to share my brother with everyone in TechCom and it's so hard for her. He's her purpose! She lives for him, everything is for her John! Every Terminator who has a mate or someone they love talks like that, you stupid…you stupid…boy!"

Ruth grabbed her sketchbook and backpack to leave, stopped, turned and grabbed Hailey's backpack as well, stuck her tongue out at Brandon for good measure and left.

"Thanks you idiot," Thomas snarled. "I didn't do anything and now Hailey will probably never talk to me again."

Thomas stood up and gave Brandon a push on the shoulder. With a look of disgust with his friend, Thomas left his tray behind as well for Brandon to take care of and left.

"Wow. Messed that up," Brandon said to himself. Confusion reigned in his mind. Hailey's story was at complete odds with what he and Rachel had been taught, had believed for as long as they could remember. To make matters worse, Ruth believed Hailey's story as well. Brandon had to admit to himself, the story was just as plausible as his own version of the past. The girls were just as sensitive and committed to what they believed to be true as his sister was.

Only one of the stories could be true. Of that much Brandon was certain. Disgusted with himself, the cleaned up the mess on the table. As he left to walk through the park, it occurred to him the key to the truth was the answer to the question of why? Why was Cameron sent back in time? Why was Riley sent back in time? If he could discover the truth to those two questions, he would know whom to believe.

 **Airbase S-14 …**

"Sir, the first two units of scouts have departed for the TechCom perimeter."

"Excellent," the Colonel replied. "Everything is appears to be on schedule."

"Yes, sir," the Major replied. "Work on the bomber conversions is continuing on schedule. Our second phased deployment will depart in five days."

"Do you know if our operatives have received their final instructions yet?"

"No word yet sir, but the package has been delivered."

The Colonel nodded. His plan was progressing smoothly. TechCom had to know an attack was imminent. The dead scout was proof enough TechCom was maintaining surveillance. He just hoped they could keep a lid on the plan long enough for the date of their precious dance to arrive. He laughed silently. It would be the last celebration TechCom would ever have.

 **Connor Family Bunker…**

"Hey!"

"Hey, yourself John," Cameron replied from the kitchen.

"I have a surprise for you!"

"No! You know how I feel about surprises," she pouted, even though John could not see.

"You'll love this one!"

"Is it purple?" Cameron asked hopefully.

"Maybe, but I'm not entirely sure," John teased.

Cameron emerged from the kitchen and saw the box in John's hands.

"Give!"

"No!" he laughed. "You have to make nice and kiss the General to see what's in the box."

Cameron strolled over seductively, placing her right arm on his shoulder as she leaned against John, her face resting gently on his chest. She stood on her toes and kissed John on his jaw, then his chin before finally tilting his face downwards with her left hand and kissing him on the lips.

"Would the nice General give his Sexbot her surprise? Please?"

"Well, since you asked so nicely," John whispered before kissing his wife passionately.

Cameron ended the kiss and pulled the box from John's hands and quickly sat down on their couch. John laughed at his wife as he watched Cameron focus in like a laser on the box, her face devoid of any expression. It thrilled him to see her scan it, touch it and in general treat it like it contained a bomb or some other dangerous device. Cameron could still be such a Terminator at times and he still found it cute.

Finally, certain the box did not contain anything dangerous to John or her, Cameron opened the box and removed its contents. She stood up, holding the purple material inside up to her shoulders, allowing the material to play out the length of her body. Examining it further, Cameron looked up at John.

"It's an evening gown."

"I asked Ruth to make it for you."

"It's beautiful," Cameron whispered as she turned the gown around and examined it. John glanced at his watch with a smile. He wanted to see how long Cameron examined the dress before she spoke again. Sitting down on the couch, John enjoyed something he had not been able to experience in a long time, the pleasure of watching a happy Terminator examining a new possession carefully and joyfully. Cameron did not disappoint him.

Finally, after seven minutes, his wife looked up. "There are only two minute flaws. One is in the material and cannot be repaired. The other is a weak piece of thread in one of Ruth's stitches."

John smiled. "So in other words, it's perfect!"

"Yes! The dye Ruth used is within a .0012 percent match to my leather jacket!"

"You like it?"

"I love it!" Cameron exclaimed as she carefully folded her new gown and placed it back in the box.

"What? You're not going to model it for me?"

Cameron smiled as she began unbuttoning her uniform tunic. "I can model it later."

"Yeah," John smiled as he watched. "Modeling the dress can wait."

The boom of the door to their bunker opening interrupted their private moment as Hailey tore through the living room and into her room. A second loud bang echoed through the bunker as Hailey slammed the door to her room behind her.

Appearing in the entrance to the bunker seconds later was the Old Man who stopped and came to attention. Cameron turned her back to the T-600 and hurriedly fastened up her tunic.

"Can somebody explain to me what is going on?" John demanded.

The Old Man suddenly moved aside as Ruth appeared, having pushed her protector out of the entranceway. Without a word, the raven-haired T-1000 flew through the room, yanked open the door to Hailey's room and slammed it behind her. The sounds of crying could be heard through the door.

Annoyed his long anticipated private moment with his wife had been interrupted, John got to his feet. "I'm getting to the bottom of this," he muttered in irritation as he moved towards Hailey's room."

"Sir?"

"What?" John snapped back at the T-600.

"I am confused, sir."

"Why?"

"I don't know who to Terminate. Well, I don't know which of the girls has been wronged. Maybe only major injuries should be inflicted."

"Both of you, stand down," Cameron ordered. "This is boy trouble. I will deal with it."

John and the Old Man watched as Cameron gently knocked on Hailey's door before slipping out of sight.

"Well, can you at least play back some video for me?"

"Ah, sir, uh."

"It's okay. I know you weren't about to follow that stupid protocol Cameron and Sarah gave you."

"Yes, sir. Allow me to play the video and audio for you."

 **The Reese Family Bunker…**

"Sarah? You home?"

Just a minute," Sarah called from the bathroom. She emerged a few seconds later, a smile on her face.

"Just doing a little maintenance," she told her husband.

"You look fine," Derek reassured her.

"What have you got in that box?"

"Oh, this? It's nothing you'd be interested in" Derek teased.

"Likely story. Hand it over Derek Reese," Sarah commanded.

After a few times of holding the box out and pulling it away, Derek finally let Sarah pull the box from him. Frowning at her husband, Sarah sat down at their kitchen table and opened the box.

Sarah looked up with tears running down her cheeks. "Is it what I think it is?"

"Yep. I showed Ruth the two pictures I have and Cameron let her look at some video files."

Sarah stood up and pulled out the long, flowing black gown and held up against herself.

"It's perfect," she said, wiping her tears away as she folded the dress and placed it back in the box.

"It should be. You know how Ruth is," Derek chuckled. "She's been working on dresses non-stop."

"Thank you!" Sarah told Derek, taking her husband in her arms.

"Thank Ruth, it was just my idea."

"Well, it was a perfect idea. It makes me feel young again and I haven't even put it on yet."

"Feel young? Of course you're young!" Derek teased.

"Be nice or you won't get what's coming to you," Sarah teased back.

 **TechCom Administrative Headquarters…**

Catherine hurried about, prodding all of the girls, the few boys and a pair of T-600s she had recruited to work for her as tailors. Wilhelm watched in dismay as his men were measured, poked first by the human tailors before being scanned by two old T-600s.

"Is this really necessary?" he asked his wife.

"Yes, it is. And it would go faster if Ruth would show up," Catherine fumed. Her communication device buzzed and Catherine snatched it from the pocket in her sewing smock. She looked at the device and read the message. Without a word Catherine returned it to her pocket.

"Who was that?" a curious Wilhelm asked.

"Cameron. Ruth won't be coming."

"What? That's not like Ruth. Sarah and Derek would never allow her to miss duty."

"Be quiet. Something has come up."

"What could come up that is more important than standing your duty?" Wilhelm asked.

"You wouldn't understand, you're male. I do not want to talk about it," Catherine responded in her snooty manner.

"In that case, I am leaving," Wilhelm replied in disgust.

"You most certainly are not. You have not been fitted yet," Catherine objected.

Wilhelm demonstrated his best imitation of Hailey and rolled his eyes, bringing a smile to his wife's face. "Stop it, you're being a silly brute," she told him as she extended her arms several inches to measure her husband's broad shoulders. "Now behave yourself, this will only take a few minutes."

 **The Connor Family Bunker…**

John looked up at the sound of knocking on his bunker door.

"Enter."

Ellison poked his head in through the door. "Have a minute General."

"John, please, I'm off duty." He glanced in the direction of Hailey's room. "I think."

"Yeah, I hate to bother you at home in your bunker, but I have something I want to run by you."

"Go ahead, I'm all yours." John stood up and shook Ellison's hand in greeting. "Can I get you something to drink? I think Cameron has some tea squirrelled away."

"No, I'm going to go eat when I leave."

"What's your idea then," John asked as he sat back down.

Ellison sat down in the chair across from the couch John was sitting in. "I've dealt with a lot of criminals as you know. Caught a lot of them. This spy and the fact we know an attack is impending have been causing me a lot of lost sleep."

"Tell me about it," John sighed in agreement.

"It occurred to me thinking about the criminals I caught and this situation that I was thinking about things all wrong. I should have been thinking about the criminals that got away and I never tracked down."

"I can only think of a few of those," John said with a smile.

"Present company excluded," Ellison continued, "I caught just about everyone I ever went after. But there was a team of bank robbers I never put behind bars. Do you know why?"

Curious to learn how anyone evaded Ellison besides his family, John responded, "Tell me? I want to know who besides my Mom could evade you, how they did it."

"Diversions. Everyone was always distracted when they pulled the job. By the time the bank figured out they had been hit the crew was already gone. Add to that, they always had some kind of other distractions in play that made it impossible for me to sort out what evidence was legit and what was pointing me in the wrong direction."

"How do you know it was the same crew?"

"Same M.O. Just different distractions."

"Smart thieves."

"Yeah. And we know some Terminators are smarter than Skynet, more adaptable. Our intel says a T-888 is running the operations at Airbase S-14. A smart one. Even has a human as his second in command, so I figure there is some human cunning involved as well."

"Let me guess, they plan on attacking and using a diversion?"

"Yes, and I think I know what that diversion is going to be."

John sighed and shook his head, "Please don't say our first ever community dance."

"You said it John, not me."

"Yeah, I did, but you confirmed what I've been thinking the past few days."

 **The Wastelands…**

One final look and Rachel jumped out from behind the abandoned truck and sprinted to the drop. A hard pull opened the lid to the trash container. Shinning her tiny flashlight inside, Rachel grabbed the sack inside before dropping the little box with the flash drives in the receptacle.

She wasted no time hurrying away from the drop site. It was not until she reached the end of the first abandoned utility tunnel that would eventually allow Rachel access to TechCom's ever-growing expanse of newly constructed tunnels that she stopped to catch her breath.

It took nearly ten minutes for Rachel's heart rate to slow down and her breathing to return to normal. Wiping sweat from her brown, Rachel finally opened the sack she had risked capture to retrieve. The contents inside brought a smile to her face.

A large envelope was inside. No doubt it contained instructions for her and Brandon. It was the second item inside that made her smile though. Rachel reached inside and removed it. She held it up close to her face and turned it from side to side, examining it.

"Meet your match, Cameron Connor," Rachel whispered in evil delight.

Recovered enough from her exertions, Rachel placed the high voltage, high amperage taser back into the sack and stood up. She figured it would take an hour to return to barracks. If she hurried, she'd even have time to stop off and get a bite to eat before the cafeteria closed for the evening.

Reviews are always appreciated. If you liked this story, you might want to consider my other TSCC stories:

 _ **Cameron Grows Up**_

 _ **The Future Cameron**_

 _ **Cameron and the Black Bird**_

 _ **Cameron and John's Wedding**_

 _ **Who's the Boss?**_

 _ **The Storm Before the Calm**_


	25. Chapter 25

**Chapter 25**

 **Disclaimer:** Don't own TSCC

 **TechCom Cafeteria…**

Brandon looked around the entire TechCom Cafeteria from the south entrance. Not spotting either of the girls, or the Connor/Reese Clan, he hurried over to where Rachel sat eating her breakfast.

"Hey, Sis."

"I thought we weren't supposed to be seen here together," Rachel said flatly.

"They know, at least about you."

Rachel dropped her spoon. "They know about what we're doing here?"

"No! Keep your voice down." Brandon looked around the cafeteria again.

"They know who your mother is."

"She's your mother too! Don't you forget it! That's why we're here, something you seem to have a hard time remembering."

Brandon stood up and glared at his sister. "I just wanted to warn you, that's all. And no, I haven't forgotten our mother. In fact, I'm more certain now than I was before she thought what she did was the best way to help us. What I'm not sure of is the truth of what happened once she met the General."

Without looking back, Brandon left as quickly as he had arrived. Rachel looked around to make sure no one had noticed their brief, intense exchange. Brandon was slipping away from her grasp. Rachel knew she had to do something drastic soon to keep control over her brother. After the raid, after Cameron and Hailey were dead, Rachel didn't care if Brandon slept with the little T-1000 he was so smitten with. In fact, Rachel realized, she didn't really care what happened to Brandon after the raid.

 **The Connor Family Bunker…**

Cameron eased into Hailey's room. Sammy greeted her at the door, wagging his tail. The sad expression on the little Italian Greyhounds face told Cameron the girls were still upset. She stopped long enough to scratch him between his ears and then let him out knowing Sammy would wake John up so he could be let out to run to the park.

Gently Cameron sat on her daughter's bed and stroked Hailey's hair until she woke up. Hailey's eyes were swollen and puffy from the long bouts of crying the night before. Cameron smiled and leaned over to kiss her daughter on the forehead. Ruth stirred as her CPU brought her out of Terminator sleep quickly.

"Girls, you need to get up. It will be time to go to school soon."

"Please, Mom. Can't you let me ditch today?" Hailey pleaded.

"Not facing your problems is not going to solve anything. You are going to go to school, find Brandon and apologize for slapping him. He did not threaten you or a member of our family. And you, Ruth Reese, are going to apologize for being rude to Brandon as well."

"Aunt Cameron!"

"The Old Man disobeyed my directive and filmed the entire exchange."

The girls looked at each other and made faces.

"Better to go now and apologize, both of you, before things get worse. Letting things linger in relationships only increases the amount of conflict. I have learned this the hard way, from experience."

"Yes, ma'am," the girls said in unison.

"Now, I have breakfast on the table, so get up and get ready for school. The sooner you apologize and make nice the sooner you will feel better."

Ruth slipped out of Hailey's bed and kissed her aunt, thanking her for letting her spend the night. She gathered her things and left to go home and get ready for school.

"Mom, have you ever said something really stupid to Dad? Or, you know, done something that made him really mad that you thought you were justified in doing?"

"Yes."

Hailey looked at her mother. The emotionless reply and blank expression didn't help Hailey understand her situation any better.

"Mom, have you ever apologized to Dad?"

"Yes." The same flat response.

"Mom, was it hard?"

Cameron looked away for a moment.

"Yes," she whispered. "Especially when what I did was in anger and I meant to hurt your father's feelings. Hailey, I've never told you this, but I ran away from home once. I abandoned my John because I could not bear the pain, the guilt for what I had done. I left him unprotected."

Shocked and concerned at this unexpected revelation, Hailey sat up straight in her bed. "But Dad forgave you didn't he?"

Cameron did not answer immediately.

"Mom?"

"Yes, Hailey. Your father not only forgave me, he came and found me. He saved me. It was right after I had developed emotions and everything overwhelmed me. So I ran away from our home. Derek found me first and saved me from two triple-8s I was fighting. Then John and Sarah took me home."

Hailey sat in silence. She could hear her mother weeping softly. Hailey leaned over and hugged her mother tightly.

"I still feel shame. I left my John unprotected. I abandoned my mission and purpose."

"But things worked out, right?"

Cameron wiped her eyes. "Yes. They did. But it was very difficult. Sarah was very angry and so was Derek. I had to prove myself to Sarah and regain her trust. I had to do the same with your father. It took me years to gain Derek's trust and friendship. Relationships are hard Hailey. Saying your sorry is just one part of making relationships work."

"Why did you do it if it is so hard?"

"Oh, Hailey, the answer to that is easy. I love your father more than my own existence. Once my John came for me, nothing could have made me leave him."

Cameron smiled at her daughter. "Hailey, when you love someone, you can make yourself do things you would never ordinarily do. Like apologizing to Ruth's boyfriend."

"Yeah, I may have messed things up for them," Hailey admitted.

"And because you love your cousin, you are going to swallow that enormous Connor pride and make this right."

"Yes Mom. But he said some mean things about you," Hailey spouted, making one final effort to evade the unpleasant task of apologizing.

"Honey, Brandon doesn't know the problems Riley caused. He wasn't there. Let it go."

Cameron stood to leave.

"Mom?"

Cameron stopped at the door and turned her head to look at Hailey.

"Yes?"

Before Hailey could stop herself, the words slipped out of her impetuous mouth.

"Can you let go of the fact Rachel is Riley's daughter?"

Hailey waited for her mother to respond. Finally, Cameron turned her head away from Hailey and spoke. "I know it's wrong, but please Hailey, in this one instance, just do as I say and not as I do. Please."

Without another word her mother left Hailey alone in her room.

 _Events referenced in this passage took place in my earlier TSCC fanfiction_ _ **Cameron Grows Up.**_

 **TechCom Command Central…**

He hated having to tell the Leadership Council. Everyone had been looking forward to what John was certain would become a cherished annual community event. But he was the General and it was his job to be the bearer of bad news when necessary.

Catherine and Cameron in particular looked disappointed.

"This doesn't mean we are canceling the event. In fact, canceling it would tip off we know an attack is eminent."

"John, isn't that irresponsible, to place our community at danger if an attack is imminent?"

John looked directly at his mother. "Mom, we are in danger as we sit here. Sometimes I think we forget that fact. Living here in our new underground city allows us to forget that just a few feet of dirt and stone separate us from the dangers of the Wastelands."

He paused to take in the expressions of those he trusted to counsel him. "If it becomes necessary, we'll cancel the event. Until then, everything, and I mean everything, continues as planned. Catherine, I'm counting on you to make this work. Organize dance classes for our young people – teach them ballroom dancing. Cameron, you, Mary and Grace are going to reach the classes. Make sure our military has dress uniforms, everything. Get with Cook to make sure we have a first class banquet planned. John Henry, whatever Catherine needs to make Central Park ready, make it happen."

"Ellison, Assassin, somehow this spy is slipping through the cracks. Do your best to find out who it is. In the mean time, I want more patrols in the Wastelands. For any attack to succeed, the forces will need to be substantial. We need as much advance warning as possible."

"Mom, Wilhelm, Cameron, Derek – step up the training. Make sure Brighton is in a foul mood. I want our forces sharpened to a razor's edge. John Henry, make sure you get all the new air defense systems up and running."

Feeling anxious, the burden of command weighing down heavier than it had in a long time, John stood and walked over to the wall mounted map of TechCom City and the surrounding Wastelands.

"Doctor Johnson, Savannah, get the medical staff and facilities ready for combat. Disaster drills would be a good cover. We do them anyhow, just make improvements, changes, anything that won't tip our own people off to the fact we expect something. The same goes for everyone. Business as usual, except the General is going through a cranking period and training is getting upped.

Father Hidalgo, I'm going to need you to step in and shoulder the responsibility of running the school for a while. Pick up Ellison's classes and do something about that idiot of a principal."

He turned to face his people, those he trusted the most. "Finally, we're going to put a halt to all construction accept defense related activity. John Henry, Catherine, find a way to make it go unnoticed. Cancel scavenging trips. Focus on sorting what we have. Keep all of our people except our scouts and patrols inside our defensive perimeter."

Cameron could see the strain her John was under, the pressure he had not felt in a long time. She stood and went to her husband, not caring who witnessed her actions. Standing close to John, Cameron reached out and touched him on his shoulder.

"We will make it happen. TechCom will survive this threat like every other we have faced. We will be victorious."

John just nodded at his wife's words.

"John, do not shut me out," Cameron ordered politely. "Do not shut your leaders out. We need you to lead us, but you have to let us help."

 **TechCom Cafeteria…**

In the far corner of the cafeteria, Brandon sat alone, lost in his thoughts. It was not until Hailey cleared her throat that he looked up and noticed she and Ruth were sitting across from him. Surprised, Brandon scooted his chair back far enough to be out of Hailey's reach.

"I haven't done anything or said a word to anybody about yesterday," Brandon said defensively. "I get the message. Never say anything bad about your mother, your dad or your family for that matter."

"Yeah, about that," Hailey began. "I owe you an apology. I should have just politely declined to answer your question. I am very sorry for slapping you Brandon. I'd let you have a free shot to even things out but the Old Man would terminate you on the spot. He's got to be around here somewhere."

"That's okay," Brandon cautiously responded. "I don't want to hit a girl anyhow," he paused for a brief second before adding testily, "Even if she deserves it."

The chip still firmly lodged on her shoulder, Hailey's irritation began to shine through as she continued, "look, this is really hard for me. I would be dead if it weren't for Cameron. I wouldn't have a family that loves me. I want you to know, I am sorry for what I did. I'm not going to apologize for defending my mom. I'm apologizing because I should not have hit you. Most of all, I love Ruth. You make her feel good about herself and I don't want to be the reason something happens to that."

Brandon sat and looked at the two cousins, considering his emotions and the motivation for Hailey's apology.

"Apology accepted. If you promised to never do that again, I will put it behind me. We'll just consider it something we both wish had never happened and not bring it up again."

"Thank you. It hurts me to say it, but you're being more mature and forgiving about this than I am capable of. Thank you again."

Hailey left Ruth and Brandon alone in order to give Ruth the privacy she needed to make amends with her boyfriend.

"I'm sorry too," Ruth said softly. "Everyone in our family has pushbuttons. For Hailey, it's her mother. They have a sort of odd relationship sometimes, but they love each other very much. You see, Hailey is a real handful on a good day and Cameron struggles with finding a balance between John and Hailey. So it's a difficult relationship."

"Cameron impresses me as being a real ice queen. I'm surprised Hailey feels the way she does about her mother."

"That's not fair, Brandon. Cameron cannot help the fact she's a Terminator. Nor is she ashamed of it. What you take as a lack of emotion, a lack of feeling is just her outward demeanor. She has to make so many choices about protecting her John and her family, all day, every day. When she decides something is not relevant, she acts indifferent towards it."

"People are not irrelevant," Brandon replied firmly, pushing his anger down inside. Perhaps Rachel was right after all. Cameron was a cold, calculating machine. "She should not be indifferent towards people, especially humans."

"Really?" Ruth shook her head. "Would you like me to replay some digital memories of you walking past people, humans no less, and ignoring them every single day? You're no different so don't you dare accuse Cameron of being uncaring. Did you know she knows the name of every person in TechCom? Bet you don't!"

"She could smile."

"Yeah, she could, but it's not how she works."

"I've seen her smile at people."

"Ooohhhhhh. I've seen you be expressionless too. You're just looking for things to be mean about."

"I don't think so. I think your aunt is a cold, calculating machine. I'll bet she broke up the General's relationship with that blonde girl Hailey hates, the one named Riley, just so she could steal the General away."

"So what if she did." Ruth folded her arms in defiance across her chest. "John was hers first. That means this Riley was in the wrong. Cameron was just fighting for her mate."

Brandon shook his head in disgust. "How do you know John was Cameron's first? Before, as you claim, Riley stole the General from Cameron."

"Simple. Future John from another timeline sent Cameron back to protect him. Then the Resistance, for whatever reason, sent Riley back to split them up. Cameron was here first! Future John sent her back to be with him. Time travel sucks, but that is what happened!"

Ruth's hostility unsettled Brandon. Well aware of what Ruth was capable of when threatened, he could not understand her anger about something that did not directly involve her. Nor could he explain to Ruth why he felt the need to find out the truth about Cameron and Riley.

In frustration Brandon exclaimed, "Why does this upset you so much?"

"Because, stupid! She's my aunt. John is my brother. I might be adopted, but they're my family. Cameron has always been there for me when my Mom didn't understand my Terminator nature. Raising me has been hard for my parents. They suffered so much because of machines like me. Cameron helped me to understand why Sarah and Derek think the way they do. She helped me learn to fit in like learned to. She helped me to understand the conflict I feel as a Terminator when sometimes I feel so human."

Ruth's explanation jarred him. There was just too many conflicting images, pictures of who Cameron was. He put his elbows on the table and rested his face in his hands. It was starting to be too much, to overwhelm him.

To Rachel, Cameron was an evil, calculating figure, someone whose sole goal in life was to steal the rightful future of others for herself. Cameron's family saw her as a slightly eccentric, but loving family member who was devoted to the entire family.

"I'm sorry, Ruth. I really am. You're my first girlfriend and I really like you. I don't want anything stupid like this to come between us."

Ruth reached out quickly and touched Brandon's arm, causing him to raise his head to look at her.

"Oh, Brandon, you mean so much to me. But you have to understand; I'm nothing without my family. If Sarah and Derek had not adopted me, I probably would have been put to death for being a T-1000. Endo's fear us and probably with good reason. Hailey and I would not be here if it were not for Cameron."

Ruth's words hurt. Family had saved her. A lack of family had caused Brandon and his sister hardship. Without understanding why, he lashed out.

"I know family is important, Ruth. I know because I don't have parents, or cousins for that matter. No uncles or aunts or a T-600 to keep me safe. I was just a Tunnel Rat."

"Yeah, well you need to get over that attitude," she threw back with open hostility.

"Explain to me just why that is?" Brandon retorted.

"If it weren't for Cameron, John would be dead. If John were dead, there would be NO TechCom City! Skynet would still be alive and you, you would probably not be alive either. Without TechCom, Skynet would have wiped out Tunnel Rats like you! So you need to be a little more appreciative of Cameron. Good bye!"

Shocked, Brandon watched as his pretty girlfriend strutted away, not once looking back. Her raven ponytail bouncing from side to side as Ruth stormed through the tables, clutching her sketchpad with both arms to her chest as she made her way towards the nearest exit.

 **The Weaver Family Bunker…**

Wilhelm jumped from his chair at the sound of the knock on his bunker's door. He rushed to the door and opened to find a breathless Savannah.

"I came as soon as I could."

"Your mother is in our bedroom. I think the stress of everything has caused issues with her processor."

Savannah stopped to hug her stepfather, an act that caused the big warrior to tense up. "It will be all right," she reassured. "This is not the first case of processor failure due to data overload I have treated."

"If something happens, if Catherine cannot be repaired, I am not sure how I will function. My priorities have changed. I now serve the General and protect TechCom in order to provide Catherine with a place to work, live and have purpose. Please, Savannah, do not let anything happen to your mother."

 **The Wastelands…**

Sarah shivered from the cold. The ever-present darkness chilled Sarah even more. She longed to be inside her bunker with Derek and Ruth where it was lighted and warm during the day. She wanted to know John and Cameron were safe and protected and the Old Man was doing his best to keep Hailey out of mischief.

Just as Sarah had been determined to defeat Skynet, to win the war against the machines, Sarah felt the old hatred building up inside her. She vowed to herself this new threat would meet the same end Skynet had in its lair in southern California.

Her son had led their people to the site Derek and Cameron had found. That her family had found. And it had been the leadership of her family and friends who led the effort to build their city, a place where life would be good again. Sarah made the decision as she looked out into the Wastelands that she would give her life to protect what her son and her family had built.

Reviews are always appreciated. If you liked this story, you might want to consider my other TSCC stories:

 _ **Cameron Grows Up**_

 _ **The Future Cameron**_

 _ **Cameron and the Black Bird**_

 _ **Cameron and John's Wedding**_

 _ **Who's the Boss?**_

 _ **The Storm Before the Calm**_


	26. Chapter 26

**Chapter 26**

 **Disclaimer:** Don't own TSCC

 **In the Wastelands north of Airbase S-14…**

The Colonel listened to the sound of the two HKs fly over the observation post. Using his multi-spectrum scope he adjusted the view of the abandoned underground military complex. His internal chronometer counted down the seconds until the bombs dropped.

As the HKs made their final approach run both suddenly began a sharp ascent, releasing the large smart bombs they carried. The Terminators in the observation post could hear the whistle of the falling bombs. Bright light pierced the eternal black of the post-Judgment Day night, lighting up the target for a brief second.

Wind from the blast rushed past the observation post followed by the sound of the concussion of the bunker buster bombs penetrating the thick concrete of the abandoned base. Vibrations emanating from the concussion wave shook the ground the observation post was constructed on, bringing down a coating of dust and grit from the roof overhead.

Another blast from within the target shook the ground again, sending up another flare of light and flame as the bombs detonated.

"I want results as soon as the data is available," the Colonel told the engineers. "I will be in my quarters."

The tall Terminator left in a hurry, walking to his waiting vehicle. Following a step behind and to the right was the Major, the Colonel's human second in command.

"If the test failed, I want the engineers responsible terminated immediately. We are running out of time." The Colonel stopped and looked directly into the Major's brown eyes. "There is to be no mercy for failure. Have I made myself clear?"

No words were necessary and it was a fortunate thing. The Major simply nodded, knowing he would have to carry out the executions personally. With each execution of a Grey, termination of a metal, the Major's loyalty for the Colonel lessened as his hate for his commanding officer grew.

 **TechCom Cafeteria…**

Brandon sat laughing with two of his new friends from his shift in the sorting facility. His friends stopped laughing, their faces suddenly devoid of laughter and amusement, replaced by expressions of concern.

Both of them grabbed their trays and nodded to Brandon and departed quickly without a word. Brandon felt the presence standing behind him and knew with out looking he did not want to see who was standing there.

"Colonel Reese, sir?"

There was no response. The silence sent chills down Brandon's spine, making his desire to run almost uncontrollable. He closed his eyes in an effort to control his fear. The thud of boots marked the movement of the person moving around the table to sit down in front of Brandon. A chair was pulled back as a person sat down and then adjusted. Still the presences did not speak.

"Old Man?"

As frightened as Brandon was, the desire to learn who was sitting across from proved to be greater. He opened his eyes.

"Enjoying your lunch?"

"Commander Connor, I, um, I did not expect you here," Brandon said, coming to attention and knocking his chair over backwards in the process.

"Sit. Pick your chair up first so you don't fall down," Cameron ordered.

Brandon did as instructed and sat in silence, unable to meet the intense gaze of Cameron's large, brown eyes.

"You seem to have an issue with me. Rather than address me directly, you have allowed this issue to become a problem for Ruth. Am I correct?"

Cameron's words were chilling, causing Brandon to begin sweating under his arms and on his brow. He looked up to see the beautiful cyborg's face wore no expression. None except for her intense, penetrating, unrelenting stare.

"What if I do?" he forced out.

"Then you take it up with me. Colonel Reese and Sarah gave you permission to court Ruth. It is inappropriate for you allow your issue with me to cause my niece distress."

Reaching under the table, Brandon placed his hands on his knees in an effort to stop one or the other from shaking in fear. Cameron remained silent, waiting for him to speak. Minutes passed and Brandon realized she would never blink, move or speak until he responded.

"I never meant to upset Ruth," he finally conceded.

Cameron sat in silence, her stare unbroken in duration and intensity.

"I should deal directly with you," he muttered in fear. "I'm still new at this relationship thing, you know, like we talked about."

"Ruth skipped school this morning," Cameron monotoned. "That has never happened before. I hold you accountable for this act of irresponsible behavior on Ruth's part."

A wave of guilt ran through Brandon. He understood how much Ruth loved learning. For the little Terminator to deliberately miss school was indeed a troublesome development. Brandon felt apprehension and the urge to flee as Cameron sat motionless, simply staring.

Minutes passed. Paralyzed still with fear, Brandon found himself unable to speak.

Cameron finally broke the silence, speaking in a flat, authoritative tone. "I have heard Hailey and Ruth's version of the events. Tell me yours."

From somewhere inside, indignation sprang up within Brandon. "It's really none of your business." Stunned to realize it was his voice that had spoken the words, he hurriedly added a respectful, "ma'am."

Leaning forward slightly while placing her arms on the table, Cameron spoke softly, her words menacing. "Anything that involves my family in any way is my business. I thought I made that clear when we had our little discussion."

Feeling the need to demonstrate courage he did not feel, Brandon swallowed before replying. "It's between me and Ruth."

"No, you involved Hailey. That makes it my business. Then you upset my husband's sister. That makes it my business. Now my mother-in-law is upset. Again, that makes it my business. Now, what is this issue you have with me?"

"I don't to talk about it."

"I did not ask you if you did," Cameron replied. Her eyes suddenly flashed an electric royal blue from deep within her brown eyes. Brandon felt his bladder contract in terror and it was all he could do to not wet himself.

He glanced around and noticed all of the personnel eating had left the immediate area where he and Cameron sat, leaving an empty circle nearly forty feet in diameter around them. The silence in the cafeteria was deafening as nobody was eating or talking. All eyes were on the commander of the Silver Brigade as she faced down the known boyfriend of her niece.

"Resistance if futile, isn't it?" Brandon said, laughing weakly at his feeble joke. "Yeah, look, I have this friend named Rachel. When we were little kids, we wound up with this group of Tunnel Rats. We got captured by Skynet and sent to this camp. I'm not sure what happened, but the Terminators all just stopped. Like their power cells died and we escaped. There were stories about the General and TechCom so we wandered in the Wastelands, hoping to find TechCom. Now I'm here."

"I am already aware of your story as a refugee."

"Yeah, um, see, my friend Rachel, I know her and Hailey don't get along at all. And that makes things hard for me sometimes because I really didn't have any other friends growing up. Sometimes it was just the two of us in the tunnels."

"What does the conflict with Hailey and Rachel have to do with me?" Cameron spoke slowly, inserting a slight pause in between each word. If it was her intent to intimidate Brandon further, it worked.

"We heard the stories about the General and TechCom and the city. We heard other stories. Stories about this beautiful Terminator who was the General's wife."

"Those were not stories," Cameron clarified. "I am his wife. I have been since before Judgment Day."

"Yeah, well, Rachel sometimes gets things a little confused," Brandon muttered, hoping his deception would go unnoticed.

"How so?"

"Rachel got it into her head that her mother, who was this pretty blonde named Riley, was the General's wife before you."

Cameron flinched as if Brandon had used a taser on her. He was as surprised by her reaction as she was at his words. Her eyes flashed the strange blue light from deep within her brown eyes again and a frown filled with the intense malice of a deep hate turned her beautiful countenance into a disturbing vision of anger.

This time it was Brandon's turn to stare and sit in silence.

Cameron recovered her composure, her blank emotionless expression returned.

"There was a Riley. She was blonde and human males would find her attractive. But let me make this clear," Cameron said, her words deepening in tone, "that woman was NEVER my John's wife. NEVER. My John was troubled when Riley came into his life. Things were not good between us. She took advantage of the situation and tried to take my John from me."

"And you won," Brandon said bitterly.

"My John saw her for the threat she was. He picked me." Cameron looked away for a moment, causing Brandon a momentary flash of fear, thinking Cameron may be about to attack him.

"My John picked me. He loves me."

"Riley was not a threat," Brandon snapped.

Cameron turned her head to face the boy. "You have no idea of what happened. You were not there. In fact, you were here, in the Wastelands. Riley left you behind."

"Left me behind," Brandon stuttered in shock.

"Yes. I have no idea of how Rachel got the ideas she has. Somebody from the Resistance must have told her what they wanted her to hear. She chose to believe the story."

"What does the Resistance have to do with this?"

Cameron smiled and tilted her head slightly. "You know. So does your sister, Rachel."

 **The Connor Family Bunker…**

"I hate him! I hate every boy alive!"

"You might hate him, but you don't hate every boy alive. In fact, I'm pretty sure now that you've had a boyfriend and he didn't get terminated, or even tortured, that some other guys will ask you out."

"Hailey, how could he be such a jerk?"

"No clue," Hailey flippantly replied. "But I bet I can scare up a really cute boy to take you to the dance. If you'd let me take a photo of you in that dress of yours it would really make the job easier."

Ruth sat up and hit Hailey with the pillow she had used to bury her face in. Hailey grabbed another pillow and hit Ruth back in the face. In minutes the two were laughing as they finally stopped the pillow fight.

"I really like him," Ruth said somberly.

"I thought you hate him," Hailey laughed.

"I hate Brandon when he's being a jerk," Ruth corrected.

"Well, then he has to suffer for being a jerk."

"How do I make him suffer?" Ruth asked, for once willing to go along with one of Hailey's schemes.

"I have this cute black t-shirt, you know the one," Hailey told Ruth.

"You outgrew that. Aunt Cameron told you to turn it in to Miss Catherine so another girl could have it."

"Yeah, but we both know I don't always _remember_ to do what mom says," Hailey laughed.

"Yeah, I know you," Ruth said, giving Hailey a disapproving look. "So what am I supposed to do with this t-shirt of yours?"

"Why wear it of course!"

"Hailey, it was too small for you a year ago," Ruth objected. "It will be too tight for me now."

"Not too small," Hailey grinned. "Not too tight even really, except for a certain, shall I say critical area."

"Hailey, I'm not that kind of girl."

"Of course you aren't. Which will make the suffering even more intense," her cousin laughed.

"You think?"

"I know. Mom told me when John was going through his Riley phase, she'd walk around their house in her sexiest underwear to drive him nuts. That is until grandma laid the law down and Mom developed a sense of modesty or so she says."

"Cameron did that to John?"

"Of course she did," Hailey grinned. "Mom's hot. You see how guys look at her when they think they can get away with it. Besides, you're as pretty as Grandma and you have bigger…" Hailey motioned with her hands as Ruth gave her cousin an exasperated look, "…you know and men still look at Grandma. It'll be pure torture for Brandon."

"I don't know Hailey."

"Look. One, it'll be torture and he deserves it for being a jerk. Two, if Brandon can't get his act together, think of it as necessary advertising to start the selection process for boyfriend number two."

Ruth looked up at Hailey who was standing with her hands on her hips and a goofy expression on her face. Unable to help herself, Ruth started laughing at her cousin's antics.

"Okay. But I'm changing at school. There is no way Mom and Dad would let me out of the house looking like that. And if I don't feel comfortable I'm changing in between classes."

"All I'm asking is that you try it," Hailey grinned. "I'm hungry." She turned to go to the kitchen and stopped to tell Ruth one more thing. "Don't forget to change back before we leave. I would hate for the Old Man to blow his chip."

Ruth could hear Hailey rummaging in the kitchen. She got up and went to Hailey's beat up chest of drawers and began rummaging around, looking for the black t-shirt. Finding it, Ruth held it up to her chest and looked at herself in Hailey's cracked mirror mounted on the wall next to the dresser. She giggled at the sight of herself, feeling her spirits lift.

"Hailey?"

"What?"

"Thanks. I feel better."

Hailey poked her head in with a smile as she chewed the piece of bread she had found. "Of course you do!"

 **TechCom Medical…**

Catherine opened her eyes and struggled to focus her vision for a moment. Savannah's face appeared looking down at her.

"How long have I been on standby?"

"Not too long, Mom."

"Well, I have too much to do to just lie here. Why am I here and not in my bunker?"

"Because you freaked Wilhelm out. I had to put you in standby and have you transferred here for some tests."

"I am fine now so I will be leaving for duty. Would you be so kind as to take care of any paperwork for me?"

Catherine started to sit up only for Savannah to promptly push her mother back down on the bed.

"No, Mom. Doctor's orders. You're staying put."

"Doctor Johnson is not here. I demand to see him immediately."

"Mom, in case you've forgotten, I'm the "doctor" here for Terminators."

"All the better then. You can sign my release."

"Mom, you're going to terminate yourself if you leave."

"That's not possible. You know Terminators cannot self-terminate."

"No, but they can cause total system failure and that's what you're going to do unless you change."

"I have too much to do."

"Hmmph. I see. I should have expected as much," Savannah snapped. "Just like the old Catherine. Thinking of nobody but yourself again."

"And just what do you mean by that, young lady?"

"Wilhelm almost had a panic attack. Wilhelm! John Henry had to shut down 80% of his CPU capacity to prevent data overload when he found out what had happened to you! Not to mention the stress you caused me, the human in the family!"

"My Wilhelm would never have a panic attack. He is a fearless warrior."

"Mr. fearless warrior in combat he is. Wilhelm the husband of Catherine, not so much, Mom. You threatened his purpose."

"His purpose?"

"You Mom! That stupid Terminator loves you in case you haven't noticed. He serves now to protect the General and TechCom so that you can live, work and lead here. So that your children are safe. See the picture Mom? Something happens to you and I've got a lethal T-800 with data overload issues due to anxiety and an identity crisis. I don't even know where to begin with what would happen to John Henry."

Catherine sat quietly and Savannah waited patiently to see if the seriousness of the situation would finally sink in.

"What is wrong with me," Catherine finally asked in a subdued voice.

"Matrix issues again. The best way I can describe your condition is matrix fatigue due to prolonged stress. You have to slow down. Delegate duties. Your matrix was already damaged before you took on the responsibility of being the City Administrator and overseeing the scavenging operation and the school start up. Mom, it's just too much, even for a human!"

Chastened, Catherine looked away.

"What I do is essential to TechCom."

"Just like running your company was. You saw what kind of issues that caused with our family."

"Yes," Catherine whispered.

Sensing her mother was conflicted and with good reason, Savannah counted to ten, knowing she needed to step carefully with her words.

"Mom, I'm not saying you have to give up your purpose. But you have to understand your health impacts so many people, not just yourself. If you persist on this course, not only will you hurt your family, but the very people you are trying to serve. Do you hear me Mom?"

Savannah looked intently at her mother's face, hoping her words were sinking in. Catherine's eyes twitched back and forth, indicating she was processing deeply.

"Savannah, you are right. I should not have forgotten the lessons I suffered so much to learn once before. It's just that now my work is good. It builds our community. I feel like every task I do somehow helps somebody for the better. Our species will not survive unless the General's vision of a hybrid society comes to pass."

Concern replaced anger in Savannah's heart. Her mother was indeed being the stubborn, thoughtless CEO who had raised her. But this time Catherine's reasons for her obsessive behavior were different. Perhaps her mother was thinking of others.

"Mom," Savannah said gently, "you are of no use to the General if you are a pool of lifeless matrix and that's exactly what you'll be if you don't make some changes."

Catherine grabbed Savannah's hand and squeezed it tightly. "I'm sorry, so sorry. I just get so caught up in work. Is my Wilhelm okay? My son? Are you okay my baby?"

"Mom, we're all be fine if you will just listen and follow the rules I'm going to set for you."

 **The Connor Family Bunker…**

The smell of pizza greeted John as he entered the bunker. Normally he would have been delighted Cameron has managed to squirrel away the ingredients to cook pizza. Her surprise now merely served to further set his nerves on edge.

"I made pizza just for you tonight John!"

His wife emerged carry plates in each hand, smiling as she did so. One plate had several steaming pieces and the other a single, small piece, clearly for Cameron.

"I'm not hungry."

Cameron's smile vanished so quickly John almost felt guilty. Almost.

"What were you thinking?"

"I was thinking Hailey and Ruth are spending the night with Mary. We have not had an evening alone in 49 days. So I cooked your favorite. I have allotted 94 minutes afterwards to watch a classic film and then I plan to model my gown for you," she said as her smile made an appearance again. "Then, if you are careful, you may help me take off my gown and the Sexbot will come out to play."

"Fat chance of that happening. Turn off your infiltrator program."

Cameron pouted immediately, tilting her head to the side in confusion. "It's not on John. I do not need it to be intimate with you."

"Really? This looks more like a diversion than a planned quiet evening."

"That's not fair John. You know I need this as much as you." With her head still tilted, Cameron dropped the plates of pizza on the table and folded her arms across her chest.

John sensed a bout of stubbornness coming on from Cameron.

He sighed and shoved his hands in his uniform. "Why did you confront Brandon today?"

"That's what this is about?" Cameron's head snapped straight, any doubts of what had angered her John having vanished. John noticed the arms remained crossed as Cameron intensified her glare.

"Yes, it is."

"I take it you know about what has transpired the within the last 36 hours."

John noted Cameron had made a statement and was not asking him a question.

"I understand there has been some conflict between the Hailey, Ruth and Brandon. That Hailey, at your insistence, apologized. I also understand Ruth and Brandon had a fight and that during lunch today you met with Brandon."

"Yes."

"Don't you think Sarah or Derek should have handled that?"

"No."

"Don't be stubborn."

"I am not."

Cameron sat down and scooted her chair forward and crossed her arms again.

"You food is getting cold and your ice water is warming up."

"Don't change the subject."

"I am merely stating what should be obvious facts to you, not changing the subject.

 _This is going to take awhile._

"Why did you approach Brandon?"

"He is Rachel's brother and Riley's son, half-brother to be precise. I have discovered they believe their mother was once married to you, not merely a dangerous distraction."

"Half-brother? And you know this how?"

Cameron tilted her head again, this time not in bewilderment but in irritation. Her blank expression didn't betray emotion, but the slight tension around her eyes spoke volumes when combined with her still crossed arms.

"Okay. I'll take your word for it," John conceded.

Cameron surprised John by rolling her eyes in a Hailey-like fashion before she asked, "No DNA test this time?"

"No DNA test this time."

Carefully choosing his words, almost as if he were walking through a pit of snakes, John asked Cameron, "is this a Riley issue, a family issue or a TechCom issue?"

John initiated a backwards count from 100 to maintain his calm and distract himself from his anger with Cameron. He knew full well Cameron would not respond to the question until she had carefully formulated her response.

"All three."

"Okay. Would you explain so I can understand?"

"Not the Riley issue. That should be self-evident, even for you John," Cameron snapped, clearly miffed John didn't see things her way on the issue. "These two individuals have caused Hailey and Ruth a great deal of turmoil, making this a family issue."

"I agree."

"Rachel is no good. I want a tracker injected in her and her brother."

"Cameron, we have rules about that sort of thing. We can't just do that."

"Who's being stubborn now, John? I think she's the spy. I am undecided about Brandon."

"Undecided? Sounds to me like you've already arrested, tried and convicted these kids."

"I am undecided only because I am convinced he truly cares for Ruth. If he is guilty of being a spy like Rachel it is because of a misplaced loyalty because she is a sister. I need more data to make a final determination. Inject the tracker devices while they are asleep and we will be able to collect the necessary data to prove guilt or innocence."

John wished Riley had never been sent back in time. His life would have been so much easier, in the past and now. Cameron might be more balanced emotionally all the time as well, not suffering from periodic bouts of "Riley issues."

"Pizza smells good," John said. The wonderful smell of Cameron's made from scratch pepperoni and sausage pizza, even if the origin of the meat was suspect, was making John aware of how hungry he was.

Cameron did not respond. She sat in silence, arms still folded across her chest as she watched her John eat. John helped himself to more pizza, surprised Cameron did not object to the extra calories. She finally nibbled her own slice before setting it down.

"I will have Ellison add more M.P.s to Rachel's detail and have the Old Man follow Brandon."

"Rachel will evade the detail."

"And you know this because?"

"She's evaded me."

"Is this why you think she might be the spy?"

"That and who her mother is."

John sighed. He was tired and the idea of a movie and Sexbot time with Cameron sounded better than when he had gotten home.

"What movie had you picked out?"

"I am no longer in the mood to watch a film."

Disappointed, John replied, "Okay. I'd love to see your gown on you."

Cameron stood and went into their bedroom. She returned with the box containing her dress and a pair black high heel shoes. Without speaking she headed for the door to their bunker.

"Hey? I thought you were going to try on your gown."

Cameron stopped and pivoted to face John. "I am. I'm going to let Sarah see it. Then I'm going to let Mary and Grace see it. Catherine is in the hospital and I am going to stop by and let her see it. It will cheer her up."

"What about me?"

"You can see it when you learn to take my Riley issues seriously. If not, you can wait until the dance."

"What about Miss Sexbot?" John pleaded.

"Don't wait up for me."

Reviews are always appreciated. If you liked this story, you might want to consider my other TSCC stories:

 _ **Cameron Grows Up**_

 _ **The Future Cameron**_

 _ **Cameron and the Black Bird**_

 _ **Cameron and John's Wedding**_

 _ **Who's the Boss?**_

 _ **The Storm Before the Calm**_


	27. Chapter 27

**Chapter 27**

 **Disclaimer:** Don't own TSCC

"No he didn't," an irritated Sarah exclaimed.

"Typical male," Catherine agreed, adding a good "humph" for support.

Cameron nodded sadly as she stood in her purple gown.

"Well, do not let that spoil trying on your new gown," Sarah encouraged. "You look stunning."

"Yes. Ruth is an amazing designer, Sarah. You must be terribly proud of your daughter. It helps when the designer has something to work with as well, Cameron. Your figure is perfect for the gown."

The two Connor women muttered their thank yous to Catherine, allowing silence to settle over the three women in the hospital room.

Cameron sat down carefully next to Sarah, adjusting her gown as she did so.

"Now Catherine, you have to listen to Savannah," Sarah told Weaver sternly. "No, you have to," Sarah ordered, cutting Weaver off before the T-1000 could speak.

"I don't like to admit it any more than you," Sarah explained, "but we're, how shall I say, maturing sound appropriate, and both of us have had life threatening illnesses. I can't spend days roaming around in the Wastelands anymore without paying a price for it later. You can't push yourself like you did at Zeira Corp. before Judgment Day."

"Are you saying we're old?"

"No," Sarah smiled. "I am saying we're just aren't brand new models like we used to be."

The two older females laughed as a faint smile crept onto Cameron's face.

Catherine reached out and took Cameron's hand. "Oh, Cameron. It will be okay. John cannot help it sometimes, he's male and you should know by now they just do not always understand."

"I just want Riley to go away," Cameron suddenly said. "She's been dead since before Judgment Day and the bitch whore just keeps haunting me!"

Sarah stood up and hugged her daughter-in-law, pulling Cameron's face tight to her bosom. "Tin Miss, it's okay. John is never going to leave you."

 **Much later that night at the Connor Family Bunker…**

Lying alone in the dark of their bedroom, John's mind refused to allow him to drift off to sleep. He thought of all the different disagreements between him and his wife over the years and in doing so came to realize just how many centered around Riley and the fallout of that disastrous relationship. Even when the dispute itself did not involve Riley directly, all too often it dealt with a "Riley issue."

And now, Riley's daughter had somehow appeared. No wonder Cameron was so on edge about the girl. John found himself impressed Cameron only wanted the girl banished and had not terminated Rachel herself.

"John, it looks like you have a full meal of crow ahead of you. Appetizer, entrée and desert, all crow," he whispered aloud to himself.

Cold air moved gently across his forearm, alerting John's senses. Listening intently in the dark of the room, he picked up the faint sound of the lock to the bunker being opened. The door opened, increasing the speed of the cold draft in the blackness of the room.

He felt the faint vibration of the bunker door shutting and heard the lock mechanism reset. John reached under his pillow and felt the comforting cool steel of one of the many pistols Cameron insisted on keeping hidden about their bunker. He relaxed as the familiar sound and pacing of Cameron's footsteps reached his ears as she walked through their living quarters.

Unable to see the door open, John sensed rather than saw Cameron enter. He felt a smile creep onto his face as Cameron moved with complete stealth into their closet. Picturing his wife, he realized she had placed the box with her gown on a shelf, neatly stored her high heels and was now removing her boots. With the boots put away, Cameron removed her uniform pants followed by her tunic, both of which were placed in the dirty clothes hamper.

Next his dirty socks and underwear were picked up off the floor and dropped on top of her uniform. Bra, panties and socks followed. Ever so faintly John heard a drawer open. Weapons were being stored as Cameron pulled out clean panties. Panties on, nightshirt over her head and the drawer shut.

John waited three seconds and turned on the light on his bedside table. An unhappy Cameron stood at the end of their bed in an old, faded t-shirt that came down to mid-thigh. The shoulders nearly reached the middle of her upper arm and the ends of the sleeves were well past her elbows. It was the t-shirt Cameron wore to bed in order to not too subtly tell John the Sexbot had no intention of playing that evening.

"I did not mean to wake you."

"It's okay," John replied. "I've been waiting for you to get home."

"I told you not to wait up for me. No Sexbot tonight."

"I couldn't sleep," John muttered.

His words spurred Cameron into immediate action. Lifting the covers on her side of the bed, Cameron slid next to John. Making contact with her long, lean leg, Cameron used her bare skin to begin her scan of John.

"Stop it," he said firmly. "You can scan me later."

Cameron's head tilted immediately to the side, without words asking John to explain.

"I've been waiting up so I could apologize to you."

John watched Cameron's face for any sign of emotion, any clue she was receptive to an apology. She blinked once. Relieved, he continued.

"I did some thinking. About us."

Cameron said nothing in response but drew closer to John, resting her head on his shoulder, as was her custom. While not quite in her normal position for sleep, Cameron seemed to be communicating a willingness to listen to what he had to tell her.

"I realized that a fair amount of the conflict between us is related either directly or in some way to Riley."

Again, John paused in search of some kind of response from Cameron. This time, his wife gave him no sign of any kind.

"That includes Riley herself, incidents directly related to her and I guess what you'd call "Riley issues" now."

Cameron blinked once a second time.

"Rachel somehow now continues to cause Riley related problems."

Slowly Cameron moved her left hand and placed it on John's bare chest. This time he did not object as she started her scan. John let her finish and waited for her to retract her hand. Relieved when she didn't, he spoke again.

"I am sorry. There is no justification for me not being more sensitive about Rachel and the stress her presence causes you. I do not apologize for granting her refugee status, but after the trouble Rachel has caused, I have no excuse for not listening to you and at least following your suggestions for tight security and observation of her. Tomorrow I will have Ellison implant a tracker in her. If you think the same should be done with Brandon, then I will add him to the list."

Cameron did not respond verbally, nor did she give John any physical sign she had even heard his apology. After a nearly a minute passed, she turned on to her left side and wiggled to get as close as she could to John. Cameron slipped her right arm behind her and reached back across John's abdomen. He smiled in the dark, relieved. He placed his right hand in Cameron's, turning to lie on his left side as she pulled his arm around her and placed his hand on her stomach. The two shifted until both were comfortable. Cameron laced her fingers through John's and listened as her husband took in a deep breath, taking in the faint smell of her strawberry scented hair.

"Sarah and Catherine said I looked beautiful in my gown. Mary and Grace loved it as well," Cameron whispered.

"I'm glad. I'm looking forward to the night of the dance when I get to see you in it," John whispered.

"You are going to wait until then," Cameron said firmly.

"Yes, ma'am," John replied.

"No Sexbot for a while," she added.

Cameron felt the frown on John's face form as his jaw rubbed against her head when he clinched his teeth. "And just how long will that be?" he asked.

"I don't know," Cameron whispered.

She squeezed his hand, trying to communicate her hurt. John said nothing in return, causing the file of Sarah's conversation with her on the way home to open. Cameron decided to heed the matriarch's advice and to be verbally blunt and direct with John. For good measure, she watched the file a second time.

"Cameron, men are dense. Their communication methods are not nearly as subtle as ours. If you really want John to understand, you have to be as direct and blunt as it takes. Tell John exactly how you feel about this. If you don't this is going to just fester and get worse. Blunt and direct, do you understand Tin Miss?"

Cameron had nodded in silence.

"Verbal communication, Tin Miss. You are harder to read than a human female. As annoyed as I am with John, I don't want you to make this worse. Talk to him."

"You hurt my feelings. More than once," Cameron blurted out. "And not just Riley issues! You ignored me as your second in command. Rachel is a serious security threat. Even if you were annoyed with me as my husband, the General should have listened to the Commander about the security threat. You've never done that before."

Cameron squeezed John's hand a second time, hoping he would sense she was hurt. This time he gently squeezed her hand back.

"If you did not trust me because of my Riley issues, you should have demanded I clarify my stance as your second in command. You didn't. You just let your feelings about my insecurity cloud your judgment as the General."

John felt sick to his stomach. He'd taken his wife for granted and as a result, had made poor decisions as the General of TechCom. By simply dismissing Cameron's antagonism towards Rachel, he'd been both a bad husband and a bad leader.

"I let myself fail as your protector," Cameron whispered. "I should have demanded you listen and take me serious. Now I have allowed the security risk to spread to our daughter."

"Do not beat yourself up," he whispered. "This is all my fault, it's all on me." John squeezed Cameron's hand tightly and held it. Using his right arm, he pulled his wife closer to him as he slipped his right foot between her slender legs.

"Please find it in your heart to forgive me," he whispered.

Cameron let go of John's hand and rolled over to face him. She nudged him back on his back and gracefully moved into her normal position, using John as a cushion while using her body to shield him.

Ever so softly in her monotone, Cameron whispered, "I want my husband to hold me."

Gripped by uncertainty, John wrapped his left arm around Cameron's shoulders and hugged her tight to him for a few seconds. He shifted a bit to get comfortable so he could try to drift off to sleep.

"Tomorrow, first thing, I will meet with Ellison about this," he promised.

Cameron kissed him on his chin and looked up at her husband. "I forgive you. But please, promise me we will never let something like this happen again."

Relieved, John kissed the top of Cameron's head.

"I promise."

 **Airbase S-14…**

The Colonel looked at his status reports. He had made a wise choice in not terminating his human second in command when he had decided to form his rogue unit. The Major was a skilled planner despite his limitations due to not having a computer for a brain. The Colonel had learned the hard way in the war against the Resistance that the "human element" of unpredictability had more than once led to the defeat of a superior Skynet force.

It has been with this fact in mind that he had carefully selected the Major. To defeat the infamous and hated John Connor the Colonel would need his own brilliance combined with that of a cunning human.

His Major had made subtle suggestions and seen possibilities and problems the Colonel would not have seen. By swallowing his pride, the Colonel smiled in amusement at the human expression, his greatness as a military strategist had improved. Skynet should have been smart enough to see the wisdom of such an approach.

"Adapt or be terminated," the Colonel said aloud.

 _Everything was nearly ready._

Reviews are always appreciated. If you liked this story, you might want to consider my other TSCC stories:

 _ **Cameron Grows Up**_

 _ **The Future Cameron**_

 _ **Cameron and the Black Bird**_

 _ **Cameron and John's Wedding**_

 _ **Who's the Boss?**_

 _ **The Storm Before the Calm**_


	28. Chapter 28

**Chapter 28**

 **Disclaimer:** Don't own TSCC

 **TechCom Cafeteria – Lunch Time…**

Derek's grin annoyed John. "Sounds to me like Tin Miss schooled you."

"You've already said that twice."

"Yeah, but it sounds good to hear it," Derek chuckled as he chewed his sandwich. "Let's review, you had to apologize, agree she was right, let her scan you all night, hold her and no Sexbot visits till she decides you've suffered enough?" He laughed out loud again.

"Okay, I get it, Cameron's infiltration skills and ability to manipulate work just fine. I brought it all on myself. I deserved what happened. Are you happy?"

"For the moment," Derek mumbled with his mouth full. "But that could change if I think of something else. Oh, yeah, like not seeing your gorgeous wife model her sexy gown in private. Sarah's modeled hers several times," Derek added, wiggling his eyebrows up and down.

"That's my mother you're talking about," John warned, his face a picture of disgust.

"My wife too," Derek said, suddenly serious. "She's pretty angry with you."

"Who, mom or Cameron?"

"Both, but Sarah is pissed. Tin Miss is her third child in a lot of ways. By not listening to her, you have caused problems for Ruth, Hailey and Cameron. That's a lot of wet feathers, John."

"Can we change the subject?"

Derek watched John for a moment, realizing his nephew had been beaten down enough by his family, he decided to leave the issue alone for the moment. He could revisit the matter if necessary.

"Have you made your final decision about the strategy you plan to employ?"

"Yeah. It's just a matter of planning and hoping everything doesn't go to crap when the attack starts."

 **The Connor Family Bunker that evening…**

Cameron peeked into Hailey's room. A frustrated Hailey was sitting at her small desk, looking at her tablet. Ruth lay flat on her back on the bed, reading aloud to Hailey from her own tablet. Sammy's tail could be seen sticking out from under the bed.

"How is studying coming along," Cameron asked.

"Mom, is ethics really necessary? I will never get to sleep tonight at the rate we're going," Hailey complained.

"Yes. It is one of the most important subjects you can study," Cameron said firmly, indicating to Hailey not to complain any more.

"Hailey's doing okay Aunt Cameron," Ruth assured Cameron. "We will only be up for a few more hours."

"If you get hungry, there is some rat jerky and a few cookies left over," she reminded the girls before shutting the door.

With her typical stealth, Cameron moved into the kitchen to retrieve the bowl of popcorn she had made. Her bare feet made no sound as Cameron returned to her bedroom where she expected to find John still reviewing the details of his plan to defend TechCom from the anticipated rogue group's attack.

"How are the girls?" he asked as Cameron slipped back into their bed, setting down the bowl of popcorn between then as she did so.

"Making progress. Hailey claims it will be an all nighter and Ruth says they will be done in a few hours."

"My money's on Ruth's estimate."

"Agreed. Our daughter likes to be dramatic and exaggerate, a trait she does not get from me."

John looked at his wife in a curious manner.

She tilted her head in response. "What?"

"Oh, I don't know. You're dramatic in your own way, Cameron. Hailey just expresses it in more human forms."

Cameron took the bait. "Are you saying I am a drama queen like our daughter?"

"No," John replied, trying to hid the smile creeping on his face by raising up a large map. "I'm saying our daughter is like her mother. Stubborn, manipulative, prone to rash actions at times, can't be reasoned with at others." He lowered the map to reveal a big smile. "Hailey is also loyal, protective of her family, especially you. She's a good friend. People like her. She's a good fighter."

"You are making fun of me," Cameron said firmly.

"No, I'm pointing out how much Hailey is like you, her mother. She just amplifies your behavior because she's human. Your being a Terminator acts to limit the more dramatic aspects of your personality, except your stubbornness. And your fighting ability. Add loyalty to the list." John looked thoughtful for a moment. "I will say this, Hailey seems to have not picked up any of your domestic skills. She can't cook rat meat to save her life."

Cameron stared at John with her emotionless expression for a moment before finally frowning. "This is not helping your cause any," she informed John.

Without another word, he folded up the map and set it on his bedside table and turned off the light. It didn't take more than a few seconds for Cameron to move in and get comfortable. John sighed in relief. Cameron was behaving normally. The last thing he wanted in the next few days was to deal with an unhappy wife. He needed Cameron to be focused on the coming attack. He would need her to be at her best for his strategy to work.

"I am going to rest now," Cameron told John before she kissed his cheek. "I will check the girls when I get up before I patrol."

John decided to take a gamble.

"Be sure to check on Rachel and Brandon."

"I had planned on it."

 **TechCom Central…**

The entire leadership team was assembled in the planning room. John had asked a few other key personnel to attend either because their skills would be needed or they would have to be made aware of the plan.

"We know there is a spy inside TechCom. The identity of the spy has not been verified." He paused and looked at the faces of his team. "That piece of information is the cornerstone of my plan."

Surprise rippled through his audience.

"Attacking us in a conventional manner carries certain high risks. We believe a former Skynet Colonel leads the rogue force occupying Airbase S-14. The troops are all Skynet Terminators and former Greys. We know they have modified HKs to serve as bombers and troop transports.

A conventional attack will require breaching our perimeter defenses and then fighting in the tunnels in order to reach TechCom City proper. We all remember what the Battle of Los Angeles was like and I don't think either we or this rogue Colonel want a repeat."

John looked around the room. The grim expressions on each individual's face capable of having an expression told him his audience was in agreement.

"If I were the Colonel, I would look for an alternative means to capture TechCom City. First, I would want to avoid a surface battle just to reach the tunnels. Even a small skirmish would give us time to prepare to fight in the tunnels, a battle that would inflict huge casualties on the attacking force.

I would want a way to enter TechCom City with as little loss as possible. In addition, I would want to force the hand of the leaders of TechCom to surrender or suffer huge losses of life, mainly civilians. Our children in particular."

John fiddled with his tablet and a scale map of TechCom appeared on the large view screen mounted on the wall behind him.

"It would help if we were distracted. Distracted by an event that was important to our entire community. An event that would gather a huge number of our citizens and military personnel into a single central location."

John highlighted a portion of the map on his tablet and the rest of the city vanished from the map.

"I would attack us the night of the dance. I would attack when I believed the bulk of our people were in TechCom Central Park."

Major Wilhelm spoke up. "General, the attackers would still have to breach our surface perimeter and make their way inside the city through the tunnels. Wouldn't we still have plenty of time to reach our defensive positions?"

"In the second Iraq war the United States Air Force developed special munitions called bunker busters. These bombs were designed to penetrate bunkers deep under ground. It is my belief this is what the enemy will do.

They will use bunker busters to breach our fortress at Central Park. It will allow them to kill as many of us in a single strike as possible while gaining egress to the center of our city. Our perimeter forces would be rendered irrelevant. Airborne forces would simply descend into our city through the crater."

Stunned silence filled the room.

"Then we have to cancel the dance, that's all there is too it," Sarah declared.

"Actually, that's the last thing I want to do," John said firmly. "Let me explain my plan."

 **TechCom School…**

"One minute to the bell," Hailey whispered.

"I know," Ruth whispered back, giving Hailey an exasperated look.

"Don't back down. You have to do this Ruth," Hailey reminded her cousin with an equal firmness.

Ruth rolled her eyes at Hailey, making a face to express her desire for Hailey to leave her alone.

Disgusted, Hailey shrugged and looked away, tapping the desk with the end of her pencil.

Leaping to their feet at the first sound of the bell ending the school day, the girl's classmates began to create the sound of all students, from all schools throughout all of human history as school ended for the day. The students burst into laughter and conversation as they hurried to make their way out of the school.

Deciding to go ahead with the plan, Ruth looked at Hailey on final time for reassurance. Hailey made a face and shooed Ruth along with both hands, motioning her cousin to hurry and leave with the other students.

"I'll be right behind you," Hailey promised.

Ruth looked down at the form fitting black t-shirt Hailey had loaned her. Shaking her head in disbelief that she had let her cousin talk her into this, Ruth decided she had nothing to lose. Slipping one of the straps of her backpack over her right shoulder, Ruth followed her classmates into the hall.

As she made her way down the corridor, Ruth noticed most of the older boys who usually ignored her watch as she passed. None of them were looking at her face. Sensing Hailey was behind her, Ruth turned and shot a nasty look at Hailey who responded by grinning.

Feeling self conscious, the modest Ruth folded her arms across her chest. The effort of doing so earned her a smack on the back of her head. Ruth spun around only to discover her assailant was Hailey, who took the opportunity to flash a dirty look back at Ruth.

"Work it," Hailey hissed in a low tone. "Brandon's at the end of the hall."

Turning, Ruth saw Hailey was right. She had to pause as her CPU was flooded by conflicting data from a variety of sources. Her emotion simulator sent multiple streams of data to her CPU, generating feelings of embarrassment, uncertainty, and anxiety. And strangely enough, hope. Ruth's sensors were functioning in a near combat state, collecting data on every target within striking distance.

"Just be calm. Turn on your data filters," Hailey told Ruth in a calm, even voice. "Tell yourself it's okay to feel the emotions. Give your CPU a chance to filter the data out. If you need to, shut down some programs and call up your infiltration protocols. You can do this, Ruth. I know you can."

Ruth simulated a swallowing motion and the taking of a deep breath. Reassured by Hailey's calming advice and understanding of what and how she was experiencing data at the moment, Ruth smiled and finally assumed a happy expression on her face.

The feelings of panic passed and Ruth resumed her march down the hall. As before, the males all watched as the pretty T-1000 strutted by in her tight fitting jeans and entirely too tight black t-shirt. Instead of her normal ponytail, Ruth had worn her hair like her mother's that day. To top the outfit off, Hailey had insisted Ruth wear a pair of black riding boots.

To Hailey's delight, more than one girl frowned as Ruth walked by, often adding to the frown a swift elbow to the ribs of the boy who had been talking to her.

As instructed by Hailey, Ruth marched right past Brandon, slowing only enough to flash a smile that would melt most male's hearts, human or metal, before continuing past and out the main entrance of the school.

Following close behind, Hailey enjoyed the male attention as well. Like Ruth, Hailey had changed at school, donning clothes her parents would never have allowed her out of the bunker in.

"Hey Brandon," she said with a smile, walking past the tall youth, his mouth wide open in surprise. "Ruth's lookin' good isn't she," Hailey pointed out, pausing at the schools double doors of the main entrance before vanishing from Brandon's line of sight.

 **Airbase S-14…**

"It all comes down to the bunker buster ordnance, sir. If the bombs fail, the attack will become a bloodbath. For us."

The Colonel replayed the video file over and over. His Major had infuriated him by insisting more tests be carried out before the main strike force deployed for the attack on TechCom.

"No! We cannot risk tipping our hand to TechCom. Several scouts have been terminated recently. I will not risk more tests."

"Sir, if we cannot collapse the ceiling of TechCom's Central Park, or produce numerous breaches, we will not be able to flood the open spaces of the city with our forces, catching the defenders in the tunnels. It is the riskiest part of an otherwise brilliant plan. We must be certain the bombs will do the job."

"The tests showed our bombs are powerful and will create large craters," the Colonel had replied.

"We don't know what the make up of the earth is between the surface and Central Park. Please, Colonel, TechCom is building their city and fortress in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada Mountains. It might be sixty feet of granite we will be trying to blast our way through. Just a few more tests to be certain, then we can launch our attack certain of victory."

Alone in his chambers, the Colonel struggled to resist yet again the urge to have his Major terminated. He knew the Major's arguments should be considered. But in ordering more tests, the Colonel felt he would be questioning his own brilliance.

No. The initial series of tests had provided enough data. The risk of discovery was too great. There would be no further tests. Everything would continue as scheduled.

 _Let them plan for their big dance_ , the Colonel thought. _They will be dead or my slaves by the next morning._

Reviews are always appreciated. If you liked this story, you might want to consider my other TSCC stories:

 _ **Cameron Grows Up**_

 _ **The Future Cameron**_

 _ **Cameron and the Black Bird**_

 _ **Cameron and John's Wedding**_

 _ **Who's the Boss?**_

 _ **The Storm Before the Calm**_


	29. Chapter 29

**Chapter 29**

 **Disclaimer:** Don't own TSCC

 **TechCom CentralPark…**

Ellison led John and John Henry past the workers arranging decorations and moving chairs and tables for the community dance, just four short days away. Catherine's voice could be head clearly giving instructions to frustrated humans as they moved the decorations back to their original location for a third time.

"We really should tell Catherine to use Terminators for that task," John said. "They won't snap and attack Catherine in frustration."

Ellison and John laughed while a puzzled John Henry watched, considering John's comment.

"Oh, I understand. My mother's directives grow annoying due to the repetition of acts. Terminators would not become frustrated."

"There's hope for you John Henry," Ellison told his metal pupil.

Looking down the long central corridor that formed the center of TechCom City, John remembered images from his study of history. The vaulted ceiling with support columns reminded him of the great churches of human history and the use of arches and vaulted domes to form awe inspiring roofs and ceilings. John Henry's engineers had used these forms when blasting out the cavern that became Central Park.

Each section of the park was a square with each square possessing its own vaulted ceiling, the four corners of which were anchored to support columns. The rough granite ceiling had been covered by layers of hardened concrete filled with tons of rebar and steel girders, salvaged from the Wastelands. The fifteen feet of dirt above the nearly forty feet of granite had been removed, allowing John Henry's crews to pour a twelve foot thick hardened concrete covering. Like the final layer of protective concrete below the granite, the thick protective layer was filled with rebar and a supporting steel structure.

When complete, the area had been recovered with dirt, rubble and the normal human junk littering the Wastelands. To any observer who was unaware of the city below, it was impossible to realize the great open park that lay below their feet. In fact, the citizens of TechCom who were fully aware of what lay beneath, whenever on the surface marveled at the fact they themselves could hardly believe what their labor concealed.

The trio approached a battered extension ladder standing against one of the simple Greek columns that supported one corner of the vaulted ceiling of the large open area to be used for the dance. Without speaking, John Henry climbed up the ladder and stepped onto the decorative cornice that served as a workspace as well. Ellison and John followed and crowded into the narrow space at the top.

John Henry carefully lifted a piece of decorative covering, revealing the steel beams hidden by the decorative work of the column. Setting the hatch piece aside, the Terminator pointed down in the space and shined a light so Ellison and John could see.

"This is what my workers found," he said simply, pointing to the location Ellison and John should look.

Chills ran down John's spine as the light of the narrow beam from John Henry's flashlight shined on the surfaces of the bomb carefully planted at the junction of the steel girders that formed the support structure for the vault.

"Is it still armed?" Ellison asked.

"We have not touched it since discovering it."

John scratched his head in worry, a frown forming as his anger began to well deep within. "From an engineering viewpoint, what is this bomb meant to accomplish?"

"It would blow apart the steel beams and column. The bomb by itself would only cause cosmetic damage and destroy this single support joint. The danger for our citizens would be the shrapnel from the steel and the concrete."

"Then why plant the bomb?"

John Henry looked up and stared straight into John's eyes.

"Bunker buster bombs concentrated on a single point would eventually create a crater deep enough to penetrate down to the support structure of the park. By damaging the underlying support system of our final layer, the vault in this area of Central Park could possibly collapse."

John glanced first at Ellison and back at John Henry.

"This is how they plan to breach our city. Airborne forces coming in through the collapsed ceiling vault, bypassing our perimeter defenses. The attackers would be behind our troops in the tunnels," John said somberly. "A large force would be able to overwhelm us from within our own defenses. Capturing the park gives the attackers control of the hub of our city."

"Not to mention the huge loss of life inflicted by the collapse of the vault," Ellison muttered.

The three sat in silence, looking at the bomb.

Glancing up at John Henry, John asked his city engineer, "Have your people found any others like this one?"

"No. I ordered my people out and had several of my workers keep an eye on Catherine and her people to make sure they were safe. I did not want to alarm anyone or let the spy discover we had found the device."

John nodded. "Good. Let's keep it that way. I don't want anyone to know about this. I'll tell the leadership council myself. I want the bomb disarmed but left in place."

Ellison sighed, taking a closer look at the device.

"We should be able to disarm it and have it look like it's armed and ready so long as the bomb maker doesn't take a close look."

"Perfect," John told his Security Chief. "John Henry, how did you find this?"

"One of my workers who pours the concrete architectural structures noticed a small piece of concrete was broken off. He climbed up here to repair the damage on noticed the access panel was ajar."

"Who besides the worker knows about this?"

"Myself and the worker. That's it," John Henry informed John.

"Do you trust this man?"

"General, the worker is a second generation T-600. He is completely loyal to TechCom."

"Good. Have him conduct a search of each support structure like this one. Make it look like it's a normal maintenance check. I want to know if there are any other bombs."

"As soon as mother is done for the day, I will have him start the search."

"I can have the bomb disabled before the first work shift in the morning," Ellison grimly stated.

 **TechCom Cafeteria…**

"I don't want to go to the dance with you," Ruth repeated. "What is it you don't understand?"

Brandon's eyes narrowed slightly, pulling down the inner corners of his eyebrows as his face became flushed.

The electricity of his emotions rising caused Brandon's grip to loosen his tongue slightly, letting him raise his voice, "Just because of something I said? That's sort of stupid Ruth. I apologized! What more do you want?"

"For you to understand how important my family is to me, something you just cannot seem to wrap your head around," the little spitfire shot back.

"Hailey put you up to this," Brandon spit back at Hailey. "I know you. You'd never walk around with your boobs on display like that. You're trying to make me jealous!"

"I thought you were different from other boys," Ruth hissed. "You're not. I told Hailey me dressing like this wouldn't make you jealous. But it did! You even looked down my blouse!"

"Are you crazy," a guilty Brandon yelled at Ruth.

"Want me to find a monitor and replay my video?" Ruth threatened.

Out of the corner of her eye, Ruth saw Hailey tugging the Old Man's left arm for all she was worth, trying desperately to restrain the T-600. Ruth knew Hailey would fail in her efforts in seconds. No matter what her cousin threatened the old Terminator with, his programming and purpose would override Hailey's commands and the Old Man would terminate Brandon with prejudice.

"If you want to live, you better go," Ruth warned, lowering her voice and casting an obvious glance in the Old Man's direction.

Following the direction of Ruth's glance, Brandon instantly spotted the girl's protector, who now was removing a squirming Hailey from his back and setting her down on a table.

"We'll talk later," Brandon replied, stepping away from Ruth.

"No, we won't," Ruth answered as tears began to form in her eyes. "I don't want to talk to you ever again. Take someone else to the dance, you, you beast!"

Having finally freed himself of Hailey, the Old Man began to run in a fashion of sorts towards Brandon. The tall youth fled at full speed, easily putting distance between himself and the determined Terminator. Ruth blocked the T-600's path, yelling at him to stop.

Finally, the Old Man obeyed. Ruth held still while her protector conducted a complete scan.

"Your emotion generator is running outside of normal parameters," the Old Man informed Ruth. "Other than this anomaly, you are functioning properly and unharmed. Do you wish for me to resume my hunt immediately and terminate the human known as Brandon?"

"No!" cried out, striking her protector in his armored chest plate. "I just broke up with Brandon! Leave him alone! That is an order!"

"I did not see you inflict damage on Brandon," the confused protector informed Ruth.

"Hailey! You deal with the Old Man. I'm going home and having a pity party by myself!"

Hailey wove her fingers into the steel hand of her protector.

"It's okay. Ruth needs to be alone right now."

Concerned for both her cousin and the Old Man, Hailey tugged gently on the protector's hand. The Old Man directed his gaze at Hailey's face, his red optics generating a brighter than normal red glow.

"It's okay to be angry," Hailey told him softly. "Brandon hurt Ruth's feelings."

"He requires termination, but Ruth has issued an order forbidding this."

"Well, that would be a bit extreme," Hailey replied. "She dumped Brandon, so you don't have to worry about him anymore. That's why Ruth issued the new protocol."

The Old Man's gaze moved to the corridor Brandon had used to escape. Hailey knew her protector was scanning the tunnel with every sensor available to him.

"Stop it," she ordered in a firm voice. "Don't make me put you on standby."

"I do not like this," the Old Man replied.

"I know, but there's nothing you can do. Ruth has to sort this out on her own."

"She is upset. I have failed to protect her."

"Old Man," Hailey sighed, "you're a big softie. Us girls are going to have things like this happen. There's nothing you or our dads can do to prevent this."

"I do not like this," the machine repeated.

Hailey jumped on her protector's back. "Of course you don't. That's what makes you such a good protector for us. Now, give me a ride home," Hailey ordered, hoping to distract the Terminator long enough to get him home and let Cameron or Sarah deal with him.

Still looking down the darkened corridor Brandon had fled in, the Old Man began shuffling towards the corridor that led to the family's bunker. Hailey started giggling as she bounced up and down on the T-600s back. "You haven't carried my like this in ages," she exclaimed.

"You have grown quite a bit since the last time I did so," the Old Man reminded her.

 **Airbase S-14…**

Watching the main gates of the perimeter fence open, the Colonel watched as his ground units departed for the march to TechCom City. He smiled as the slipshod Greys departed. The Cannon fodder. Trained Tunnels Rats, nothing more. Good riddance.

It had not been that long that he would not hesitated to send regular Greys trained for Skynet to serve as cannon fodder. Those that survived would be integrated into his regulars. The Major had made him come to value well trained human troops.

These Tunnel Rats were too unruly, ill-disciplined as it were, to serve with his regular human troops. Their slipshod discipline would create unnecessary casualties for his regulars. And there was the danger their unruly attitudes and behavior could rub off on the regulars. They were just human after all.

 **TechCom City Holding…**

The message in the food had renewed his determination. Trevor finished his exercise routine for the second time that day. He felt fit, determined and most of all, angry. He would need to stoke that anger. To fight and defeat Cameron would require it. And then, then his fun would really begin.

Once Cameron was restrained, Trevor planned to capture "her John" and the precious little princess Hailey if he could. He didn't know who would suffer more while he had his way with the lovely Miss Cameron, her family as they watched, or Cameron's pain and humiliation from having her beloved family see her humiliated and defiled.

Trevor was a realist though. He knew his escape was timed to be nothing more than a distraction. Capturing Cameron might not be possible simply because he would not be able to gain access to her. But surely, as prominent as the Connor family women were, he could get his hands on Hailey or Sarah Connor. Either one would do just fine as a weapon to use against _the General_ himself, the almighty John Connor.

 **Just Outside TechCom City School…**

"It's okay Ruth."

"I'll never have another boyfriend. What was I thinking?"

"That Brandon had crossed a line he should not have. It's not like we haven't made it clear that our family is not to be trifled with."

"Hailey, he'll go to the dance with some other girl."

"So! You'll go to the dance with some other guy. With additional modifications to that slinky dress of yours," Hailey added in her imitation of a sultry voice.

Ruth laughed at her cousin.

"Yeah, like covering up more."

"No! Skin! Show more skin!" Hailey teased.

"And get KP duty forever when Dad sees me," Ruth mocked back. "That includes you too, because Mom and Dad will know you put me up to it."

"Oops! Small problem, less skin, less skin," Hailey laughed. "Seriously though, you're going to have a date."

"And you know this because?"

"My date has a twin brother, have you forgotten?"

Reviews are always appreciated. If you liked this story, you might want to consider my other TSCC stories:

 _ **Cameron Grows Up**_

 _ **The Future Cameron**_

 _ **Cameron and the Black Bird**_

 _ **Cameron and John's Wedding**_

 _ **Who's the Boss?**_

 _ **The Storm Before the Calm**_


	30. Chapter 30

**Chapter 30**

 **Disclaimer:** Don't own TSCC

 **TechCom Central Command…**

"Colonel, sir, there is a young man here to see you."

Derek looked up from the mound of maps, drawings and paperwork on his desk and leaned back in his old, worn desk chair. The loud creak of the springs as he leaned back reminded him the old chair would only lean back so far. Turning the chair to face the door, he looked at the smiling face of his aide. Thinking she looked younger than her 24 years, Derek reminded himself he was the one getting older, the young staff was not as young as they looked.

"A young man."

"Yes sir," the aide replied smiling.

"Has Hailey or Sarah been by this morning?"

"Yes sir."

"The don't smile about this."

His aide tried to hide the beaming smile and failed, having to resort to covering her mouth.

"It's not funny."

"Yes sir. Not funny."

"Leave," Derek groused, "send him in so I can put both of us out of our misery."

Turning to look into her small outer office and waiting area, the aide frowned her best frown and glared at the teenage boy waiting.

"The Colonel will see you know," she said grimly, stepping aside as she pointed towards Derek's office. Again she struggled not to laugh as the watched the boy swallow and mentally screw up his courage to meet his fate. He smiled once briefly at her, nodded and calmly walked through the door and entered the Colonel's office.

A quick peek before shutting the door revealed a frowning Derek sitting in silence while pointing at an empty chair against the wall.

The aide hurried to her desk and picked up her interoffice communication device, punched in several numbers and listened for a few seconds.

"Miss Sarah, Commander Connor, the twin is here. He's in with Colonel Reese right now."

She paused and listened for a few seconds before responding.

"Yes, ma'am. I think it will be okay. The Colonel didn't yell at me. He was just gruff." She paused to listen a second time and again responded. "Yes, I will let both of you know as soon as he leaves."

 **Airbase S-14…**

"Everything is ready sir."

The Colonel looked at the monitors in his command head quarters, watching the beehive of activity in the loading bays as men, Terminators and equipment were loaded into HKs. In another hangar ground crew were busy loading bombs into the bomb racks of highly modified HKs.

"The advance ground forces have reached their final staging area?"

The human Major nodded his head before responding. "Yes, Colonel. We have received word they have reached the staging areas as assigned. Pickets have been set, patrols sent out and the main forces have taken cover and are well hidden from ground and aerial reconnaissance."

"Excellent, Major. In just over 24 hours, the size of our fledgling empire will grow dramatically and we will have succeeded where my creator could not. It will be a pleasure to communicate to the other regional Skynets the news of the termination of John and Sarah Connor and that traitor Cameron."

Watching his metal commander, the Major remained silent. There were limits to how far he could push the Terminator who served as his ruler and master. He was, after all, a Terminator. The machine had grown too confident. Arrogant in the belief the plan he had developed was infallible.

 _If only he would have listened and carried out more testing of the bunker busters. I would be certain myself if I were positive the bombs will do the job required of them. Everything hinges on those bunker busters._

"Major, relax," the Colonel said, turning to look at his trusted second in command. "The bombs will work."

"Yes, sir," the Major replied, nervous the Terminators had been able to read his thoughts.

The Terminator smiled, making the Major nervous. "Your constant worrying and fears are what makes having a human XO so valuable. You see disaster at every step of a plan and then you do everything possible to proactively eliminate the disaster. Your feedback, as hard as it is for you to provide at times, has improved my plan. I am also well aware of the work you do to iron out the details."

As his anxiety level increased, the Major forced himself to smile and nod. "Thank you, sir. I try to serve you well."

The Colonel's face went blank and he turned his attention once again to the monitors, watching the troops preparing for departure.

 _God help me if those bombs don't work. I hope my termination will be quick and painless._

 **TechCom Central Park…**

"Sit down Ruth. Quit pacing around."

"Hailey, I can't sit. I'm nervous."

"I swear Ruth, sometimes you act just like a human."

"Shut up Hailey. Of course I act human. I'm a T-1000 raised by humans. It's not like I was raised by wolves in the Wastelands."

Hailey rolled her eyes and looked in the direction of the corridor from the living quarters where the twins lived.

"Well, you better sit now. I see Thomas and Daniel. I'm going to go hang out with Thomas."

"Hailey, no! Don't go."

"Ruth, he faced "the Colonel" and lived. He's going to ask you. Just make sure you say yes and don't do some crazy T-1000 thing."

Irritated with Hailey and noting her CPU was measuring higher than normal anxiety indicators, Ruth finally sat down on the bench and watched her cousin stroll away in the direction of the approaching twins. Thomas sat down on a bench and Hailey joined him, leaning against her boyfriend as he shyly slipped his arm around Hailey, all the while glancing about to catch a glimpse of the Old Man.

Daniel approached Ruth at a slower pace, keeping his eyes cast downwards. Ruth fidgeted and pulled at the corner of the cover of her sketchpad, anxious for the entire asking out process to be over with.

As the shyer of the two twins finally arrived at Ruth's bench, he looked up and smiled.

"Can I sit with you," the twin asked.

Ruth smiled and nodded yes and scooted over to make plenty of room. Daniel sat down and continued to look down at the hard stone surface that made up the ground of the park.

A quick glance at Hailey served only to increase Ruth's anxiety as Hailey mouthed "talk to him" over and over. Feeling as anxious and shy as Daniel, Ruth made a face back at Hailey and shook her head no. Hailey made a face back and again mouthed the words "talk to him."

Frowning at Hailey, Ruth pulled her sketchpad up to her chest and folded her arms across it as if protecting herself from a blow to the chest. Without so much as a glance at the twin, Ruth spoke in a flat tone, "how was school today?"

Startled, Daniel looked up, his eyes wide. "Do you want to go to the dance with me," he blurted out. "I already talked to your dad. He's a scary dude."

"What?" Ruth blurted out, annoyed with Daniel for being so blunt. The comment about her Dad didn't help his cause any either.

"Ahem, I said, do you want to go to the dance with me?"

"You're going to have to do better than that," Ruth bluntly informed him.

"Better than what?" the puzzled boy asked.

"You know," Ruth snorted in reply, holding her head up in indignation as she looked away. Catching a glance of Hailey in the corner of her vision, Ruth looked directly at her cousin. Hailey gave Ruth a huge eye roll and then mouthed, "be nice!"

Reminding herself the objective was to have a date to the dance so she could wear her dress and rub Brandon's face in it, Ruth sighed as she switched on protocols that would calm her raging CPU and allow her to control the conflicting emotions her emotion generator was producing.

"That's not how a girl wants to be asked to a dance," Ruth said as politely as she could.

"Oh."

"Oh? That's all you have to say?"

"I've never asked a girl to do anything with me before," Daniel replied, frowning at Ruth. "Look if you don't want to go with me, just say so, but don't get all snippy because I'm not smooth like Thomas. Or Brandon."

The twin stood up to leave, clearly embarrassed by his clumsy effort to ask Ruth to the dance.

"I'm sorry," Ruth hurriedly blurted out. "I'm not good at waiting to be asked. This is new to me too."

"But you've had a boyfriend," a confused Daniel said aloud. "Why would you be nervous?"

"Because, I just am," Ruth sighed. "You're right, my dad is scary sometimes. You're only the second boy to ever have the nerve to talk to him and get permission to ask me out."

"Yeah," Daniel sighed. "And your protector gives me the willies too."

Alarmed by the renewed scowl in Ruth's face, Daniel put his hand up to placate her. "I don't mean anything bad, but Ruth, you have to admit, between your dad and your protector, it's scary for a guy to even want to talk to you. And then there's your mom, I mean, Sarah Connor, the legend herself! Your brother's the General and his wife is Commander Connor. If I didn't like you since we were little kids, I would never have worked up the nerve to ask you to the dance."

Realizing Daniel did in fact have far more reasons than her to be nervous, Ruth decided to placate the twin. Pleasantly Ruth asked, "Can we start over?"

"If you want me too, but I don't really know what you want me to do."

"Don't just blurt out the question do I want to go to the dance with you. Talk to me a little first, then ask me."

Daniel looked at Ruth for some indication of how she would respond. Ruth titled her head to the right just as Cameron did when curious or asking a question.

"Is that a sketch pad?"

"Yes, I love to draw. I'm not very good, but I hope if I practice enough one day my sketches will be okay."

"I can't draw a straight line with a ruler," Daniel replied, a faint smile on his face. "Can I see one? I mean if you don't mind."

Ruth smiled and tilted her head back to its upright position as she unfolded her arms and opened the cover of her sketchpad.

From her park bench, Hailey watched as Ruth flipped through pages of her sketchbook, looking for a sketch to show the twin.

"Your brother is really shy with girls isn't he?"

"I'm surprised he actually sat down with Ruth and didn't flee when she first spoke to him."

Hailey slipped her arm inside Thomas's and smiled at him. "Thank you for getting him to ask Ruth. There was no way I could let her stay home the night of the dance."

"It wasn't that hard," Thomas replied. "My brother's had a crush on her ever since we were little kids."

Hailey watched as the pair looked at one of Ruth's sketches. Ruth's expression indicated her disappointment with her artwork while Daniel's face showed how amazed and impressed he was with the drawing.

"Thomas, how long is this going to take? We're already late for class. Lunch break is over."

 **TechCom Cafeteria…**

Sarah rested her face on her hands. She felt tired, bone tired. The kind of tired a single night of good sleep could not wash away. Between the dance and the impending attack, Sarah was feeling every bit of her age in her joints, bones and muscles.

"Sarah, everything is ready. There is nothing we can do until H-hour. You should go home and rest."

Raising her head slightly, Sarah peeked at Cameron sitting across the table from her. "A nap sounds great. The raid is not really stressing me, it's waiting to hear if my Ruth has a date to the dance."

"If the twin talked to Derek, he will ask Ruth."

"How do you know?"

"Facing the alpha male father a second time after failing to ask the daughter out is more terrifying than the possibility of rejection by the female. In the twin's case, there is also the issue of the Old Man. He will be upset if Ruth is not asked, making him slightly more dangerous than normal."

Sarah laughed once. "I would think our girl's protector would prefer they never date."

"He would prefer that," Cameron replied in her monotone. "But the Old Man's program has developed several weaknesses."

"How so?"

"Sarah, surely you've recognized it."

"Yeah, I guess so. He'd rather they be happy and have a date than not. Of course, part of me thinks he hopes one of the boys tries something so he can terminate something besides a rat when he takes Sammy hunting."

A buzzing sound interrupted the two mother's conversation. Sarah reached down and pulled her communication device off her belt and after a quick glance to see who was contacting her, pressed the receive button. Sarah listened quietly, said a quick thank you and returned the device to her belt.

"That was the Old Man."

"And?"

"Ruth has a date."

 **TechCom Sorting Facility…**

Stopping for a moment to stretch his sore back, Brandon noticed Rachel talking to his supervisor in the sorting facility. His sister smiled and began walking in his direction, her head turned as she continued to talk to the supervisor. He watched his sister walk calmly to his workstation.

"What are you doing here?"

"What? I can't come talk to my own brother?"

"Don't look at me. It was you who said we should not be seen in public together too often."

"Changed my mind. Females do that, or wouldn't you know?"

"Leave it alone, Sis."

"What's the matter, does my brother have a broken heart? Did little Ruth rip his heart out and trample it?"

"I said leave it alone."

"No! This is what Connors do! They destroy the happiness of others! I had hoped for your sake Ruth would be different, but she's one of them! Don't you see? Disagree with one of that clan and they all stick together! Make them uncomfortable in anyway imaginable and they'll reach out and hurt you!"

"Calm down, Sis!" Brandon hissed, glancing about at the other workers. "People here listen. This job is boring so gossip is gold. You keep spouting stuff like that about the General's family and you'll get us locked up for certain."

"Yeah, your right. We're too close to succeeding for me to mess up like that now."

"Why are you here?" Brandon asked a second time.

"I thought since we both have to be at Central Park to guide the raiders once they break through, we might as well go to the dance and have a good time. So, what do you say brother of mine? Will you be my date to the dance? It's your chance to make Ruth jealous!"

 **TechCom Medical…**

"That's wonderful," Savannah exclaimed.

"I can't believe it myself," Mary laughed. "I actually have a date, and I never expected to be asked by Paul, that's for sure."

"What does Grace think?"

"She's delighted and so is Cameron. Maybe now they will stop trying to fix their spinster friend up," Mary laughed.

"So who knew? His classroom is across the hall from yours?"

"Correct. And now that I think about it, he's been flirting with me for a long time, I just never paid attention."

"Well, the main thing is you have a date to the big event! Have you got a dress?"

"Cameron got Ruth to whip one up for me quick. It's not one of her "special" designs, but I don't care. Sometime in the future I can auction it off as a "Ruth original" though."

The pair laughed as they left to eat dinner at the community cafeteria, their work for the day finished.

Reviews are always appreciated. If you liked this story, you might want to consider my other TSCC stories:

 _ **Cameron Grows Up**_

 _ **The Future Cameron**_

 _ **Cameron and the Black Bird**_

 _ **Cameron and John's Wedding**_

 _ **Who's the Boss?**_

 _ **The Storm Before the Calm**_


	31. Chapter 31

**Chapter 31**

 **Disclaimer:** Don't own TSCC

 **Connor Family Bunker…**

"Mom, stop it! My dress fits fine!"

"Hailey Connor, you are not leaving the bunker with that much cleavage showing. In fact, if any cleavage is showing, you are not leaving at all."

"That's not fair," Hailey whined, rolling her eyes. "You're showing cleavage!"

"I'm married and off limits to all other males. Only your father has access. My dress is entirely appropriate for a married woman my age."

"Ewwwww! Gross!" the two cousins replied in unison, making faces at each other.

Ruth turned at the sound of Sarah entering Hailey's room. Converted to a dressing room, the four Connor clan females were busy readying themselves for the events of the night. Watching her mother pull her skirt up and extend her leg through the considerable slit, Ruth observed Sarah first check her pistol and then insert it into her thigh holster. Cameron was busy doing the same.

The two mother's smoothed their gowns and then turned first to one side, then another as they examined their appearances in the mirrors set up for the purpose in Hailey's room.

"How many weapons do you have Cameron?" Sarah asked as she checked her hair for any stray grey hairs she had missed.

"Only eight," Cameron sighed. "Ruth did a wonderful job of designing the gown and it's beautiful, but my ability to carry sufficient weapons has been curtailed. How about you?"

"Five, but that's plenty for me," Sarah replied.

"You got them all."

"All of what?"

"The greys."

"Grandma, are you really going to the dance in that?" a horrified Hailey asked, really seeing Sarah in the daring black gown for the first time.

"Yes! I am! Don't you think Derek will love it?"

"Uh, Grandma, little too much leg showing. And shouldn't you be wearing a dress with a back?"

"Why? Do I have too many scars showing?" Sarah turned hurriedly to examine her exposed back.

"No, Sarah, you look fine. Derek likes your scars," Cameron said reassuringly as she made an evil face at Hailey.

Ruth had taken a seat and watched the exchanges between the three other females. Wrapped around her tiny frame was a white shawl Ruth had made to go with the dress. The bright white material contrasted beautifully with the black material of her dress. It also served to hide just how form fitting her dress was, clinging tightly to her curves. The shawl also hid the fact her dress, like her mother's had no back.

"Does my makeup look okay?" Ruth interjected.

"Let me see," Sarah said, leading close to examine her daughter. "Just a little more eyeliner."

Ruth closed her eyes and concentrated for just a second before opening her eyes again for her mother to take a final look.

"Perfect."

"I wish I could do that," Hailey sighed. "Just morph my makeup and be done in a few seconds."

A loud knock on the bunker entrance caused the Connor females to check each other one final time with Cameron giving a firm yank upwards on Hailey's gown, accompanied with a frown warning her daughter to make sure the dress did not work its way back down.

Waiting in the living room of the bunker was the Old Man. Most of his surface areas were shinier than normal, having been given a thorough polishing by Hailey and Ruth the evening before. Sammy had his leash on along with a small t-shirt Ruth had made for him.

"Should I open the door to the bunker," the family's T-600 protector asked to the amusement of the women.

"We have a butler," Hailey giggled.

"Please," Cameron politely asked.

With a quick, smooth pull, the T-600 opened the steel bunker door. Smiling, John and Derek stepped in, dressed in their dress uniforms, complete with side arms, and made their way to their wives. As the adults complimented each other on their appearance, the twins shyly made their way into the bunker, each carrying a small box wrapped in pieces of colored paper.

"For you," the twins said in unison as they presented their gifts to the girls. Delighted, the girls sat down to open their gifts. Hailey's small box contained a slightly worn Buck knife that when opened, revealed a recently sharpened blade.

Ruth's box contained a pair of slightly used colored sketching pencils and a new, in its packaging paintbrush for use with watercolors. Delighted both girls hugged their respective twin, only to receive admonishing looks from the adults while the boys blushed.

Hailey, to John's horror, promptly hiked up her skirt to reveal a thigh holster containing her .22 caliber pistol, with purple grips, that matched the pistol each of the other Connor females carried concealed somewhere on their person. Next to the pistol was a strap to fasten a knife, to which Hailey attached her new weapon. Standing up, she quickly smoothed down her gown. Nobody would have known she was armed.

Noticing her husband's expression, Cameron elbowed John, and frowned, shaking her head slightly before smiling. "Thomas, that is a very thoughtful gift for Hailey. I young woman in the Connor clan can never have too many weapons."

At the mention of weapons, Thomas paled slightly as it occurred to him his date was heavily armed.

Sarah smiled warmly at the nervous Daniel. "Your gift was very nice as well. I am sure Ruth will get many hours of use from them."

The elder males, offered their wives their arms and led the way out of the bunker. Thomas offered his arm to Hailey who smiled and slipped her arm through the twin's and pulled herself close. Shaking slightly, Daniel offered his arm to Ruth who smiled and graciously accepted. Bringing up the rear of the procession was the Old Man, reviewing the number of weapons hidden about his skeletal frame, as he led Sammy on his leash.

 **TechCom Holding…**

Trevor shoved the food tray back over towards the cell door. Despite the fact he would soon be out of his cell and would be expending huge amounts of energy, he couldn't bring himself to eat another of the endlessly bland meals.

Lying back on his cot, he again stared up at the ceiling, excited at the prospect of being free in just a few hours. Free to seek his revenge on the Connors, to take his pleasure from Hailey and especially the lovely Miss Cameron. Trevor could sense the hate spreading from his heart to his far extremities, sending a tingling sensation through his skin, giving him Goosebumps as the hair on his arms and the back of his neck stood up.

"Ah, yes, Cameron. You will pleasure a real man tonight."

 **Airbase S-14…**

"Everything is ready Colonel."

The Terminator glanced around the command center on the specially modified HK. From here he would command his forces as they assaulted TechCom City.

"Major, would you please give the order for the departure to begin."

As his human second in command began giving orders for the airborne assault force and bombers to depart, the Terminator walked to the shielded viewport installed in the fuselage of the HK. Looking out into the eternal darkness of the Wastelands he smiled.

"Our enemy is waiting."

 **TechCom Cafeteria…**

Ruth sat in silence, amazed at the transformation Catherine's workers had wrought in the hours since the lunch shift ended. The common eating area had been rearranged and decorated for the banquet for those of TechCom who were attending the dance. For the soldiers and civilians who either had duty or work or did not wish to attend, the evening meal had been served in a warehouse, also festively decorated.

Daniel ate quietly, giving Ruth time to watch and observe. She was particularly fascinated by how everyone interacted with her parents. Her father was handsome in his dress uniform. Sarah looked stunning in the replica gown she had made for her mother. Ruth found the reactions of people interesting. All were happy to see her parents and interact with them. What confused her initially were the expressions of the people once her parents had moved on.

Many women's eyes lingered appreciatively on her father, something Ruth could understand. Derek was a handsome man, even with his scars and, if his cybernetic leg was acting up, slight limp. It was the behavior of the men in regard to Sarah Ruth initially found disturbing, then interesting. All of the men admired Sarah. Many looked at her with open lust, leering at the stunning woman who was Ruth's mother.

Ruth had always thought her mother was pretty just as she found her father to be a truly handsome man. Discovering her mother was such an erotically beautiful woman, causing her to be an object of open lust, rattled Ruth.

Despite Hailey's constant encouragement that Ruth was pretty and attractive to males, Ruth had never felt that way. Seeing how men reacted to Sarah in her gown, which served to accentuate everything that made her adopted mother beautiful, Ruth realized human males were likely to view her in a similar manner.

Ruth had adopted Sarah's form as her template with some bits of Derek thrown in as her preferred form. She had done it because of the bond she'd formed with her adoptive human mother. The painful process of adding matrix to her mass had led Ruth to decide to stop growing when she topped five feet. In a rebellious moment, Ruth had decided she wanted to have a significantly larger bust than her mother, for no reason other than to set her apart from Sarah visually in a way other than being shorter. Ruth simply didn't want to be a "little Sarah" despite loving her mother.

Watching her father turn back to ask a question and see the look on a man's face as he leered at Sarah gave Ruth a little more insight into her father. The look of sheer terror and fear on the man's face when he realized Derek had caught the man ogling Sarah made Ruth feel warm inside. Her father was very possessive and protective of Sarah, yet he had allowed her to wear the gown, knowing the effect it would have on other men.

Despite not liking how men may lust after his wife, Derek was confident enough to allow his wife to openly display her beauty. Ruth also realized his overprotective behavior in regards to his T-1000 daughter was because he loved her. In fact, watching the reactions of men, Ruth realized any male who could get past the fact she was a T-1000, would have less than honorable thoughts in regard to her shapely form. Wrapping her shawl a little tighter around her shoulders, Ruth questioned if she should have made her dress so form fitting.

 **Airbase S-14 Attack Force…**

Turbulence rocked the command HK, tossing the Major about in his seat. He had hated flying before Judgment Day and liked it even less now that he found himself strapped in the low flying HK, a machine built with no regard for human comfort while in flight.

Educated to become an economist, the Major pondered the irony of finding himself a soldier who fought for a Terminator, a machine designed by a computer to kill humans. His training in economics gave him the skills to analyze systems, to see both the big and small picture, a skill that had allowed him to survive and rise in the ranks of the Greys.

Today's attack was no longer about survival though. His former master, Skynet was dead. So long as he stayed within the confines of the region, the Major was safe. Now the attack he would participate in was against humans, and Terminators, who bore him no ill will if he demonstrated he was no threat to TechCom. No longer did he have to hunt and kill TechCom soldiers and Tunnel Rats in order to save his own skin.

Bouncing in the turbulence as the squadron moved in the direction of TechCom City, the Major regretted for the thousandth time not taking his chances in the Wastelands.

 **TechCom Cafeteria…**

Hailey looked up from her plate to see her parents walking among the others attending the banquet. She was proud of her father and how handsome he was in his dress uniform. Hailey peeked at Thomas as he poked at his food and imagined him in the dress uniform of an officer. She liked what she conjured up in her mind.

Watching her mother patiently make the rounds with her father, Hailey felt a twinge of jealousy at how beautiful her mother looked in the purple gown Ruth had fashioned for her. Feeling guilty, Hailey brushed the emotion away quickly and continued to watch her parents. Like Ruth, she noticed the admiring glances of women and the leering glances of men.

She also noticed how her mother stayed close to John, occasionally turning to glance at Sarah who always smiled back at Cameron. Whenever the couple approached a female who was blonde, Hailey noticed how quickly Cameron slipped her arm around John's and moved close to him. Amused at first at her mother's "Riley issues" Hailey realized for the first time how insecure her mother could be.

Just as Ruth had realized her father was a supremely self-confident man, Hailey shuddered at the realization her mother was capable of feeling real fear. After years of marriage and constant reassurance backed up by complete fidelity on her father's part, Cameron still could not overcome this source of fear.

Like Sarah, Cameron was a stunning beauty in her purple gown. Hailey glanced down at her own gown and realized her mother had a point about her dress. Glancing quickly at Thomas to make sure he didn't notice, Hailey gave her dress a quick tug upwards. Ruth's shawl suddenly looked like a good idea.

Hailey got up and motioned for Thomas to change seats so she could sit next to Ruth. Puzzled, Thomas did as asked, moving his food with him.

"Hey, cousin, have you noticed all the men checking out our moms," Hailey whispered in a pitch so low only Ruth could detect.

"Yes! It's disgusting," Ruth whispered back. "Have you seen the women checking our dad's out?"

"Yeah, also disgusting, they're our dads," Hailey whispered in agreement.

"You know," Ruth continued, "I just now realized our parents are people. They aren't just our parents or the commanders of TechCom, they're real people. Look at mom, I mean, she loves talking to all the people and I'm pretty sure she's enjoying all the ogling from the men. What's more, I think mom likes how much she's pissing off some of the women because their husbands or boyfriends are checking her out."

"I think Derek and dad are real alpha males."

"How so?"

"C'mon Ruth, you think they don't know our mom's are hot? They also know there isn't a male, human or metal, who could take their mates from them. Our mom's just reinforce the fact of who the dominant males in TechCom are."

"Hailey, you realize that could be said about our mom's," Ruth whispered back.

"I don't know," Hailey said thoughtfully. "Grandma is certainly not threatened by other women, though mom says sometimes Grandma has issues. But my mom? I've never seen her fearful of other women until tonight. She really does feel threatened by blondes."

The girls looked at each other somberly. It had never occurred to either of them that their parents were real people whose lives were broader than the narrow roles of parent and leader.

 **TechCom Holding…**

Trevor's eyes opened wide. A broad smile spread across his face.

It was time.

Flipping his cot over, Trevor removed the metal plug that sealed the end of the tube that formed one of the four legs of the cot. He turned the cot upright and shook it hard, causing the small package hidden inside to fall out.

Quickly Trevor unwrapped the soft, putty like substance and examined it along with the tiny device included. Moving to the door of his cell, Trevor pressed the material against the steel of the door, forming a circle around the lock. He pressed the detonator into the putty like substance, pressed the arming button and hurried over to his cot.

Turning the cot on its side, he took cover behind it. Fifteen seconds passed, causing him to wonder if something was wrong with the tiny detonator. A sudden hissing told him otherwise as the smell of burning metal and paint filled the air in his cell. Sparks flew over the cot, landing on the unprotected skin of his forearm, neck and cheeks, burning him.

As quickly as the hissing had started, it stopped. The cell door swung open.

He was free.

Reviews are always appreciated. If you liked this story, you might want to consider my other TSCC stories:

 _ **Cameron Grows Up**_

 _ **The Future Cameron**_

 _ **Cameron and the Black Bird**_

 _ **Cameron and John's Wedding**_

 _ **Who's the Boss?**_

 _ **The Storm Before the Calm**_


	32. Chapter 32

**Chapter 32**

 **Disclaimer:** Don't own TSCC

 **Somewhere in the Tunnels of TechCom City…**

Listening carefully for any sound indicating movement, Trevor became convinced he was alone in the unfinished utility tunnel. He approached the junction in silence and took the left passage. Roughly twenty meters from the junction he found the unfinished utility closet that would house all the electrical junctions and breakers for the as yet finished portion of TechCom City.

In the corner was a bucket with a piece of dirty and torn canvas draped over the top. Lifting the canvas, Trevor carefully reached inside the bucket, his hand touching the promised object. Delighted, he withdrew the device and carefully examined it.

"Oh, my lovely Cameron, on jolt from this, and you're all mine," Trevor whispered softly to himself.

He set the Taser down and reached into the bucket a second time. This time he withdrew the change of clothes he'd been promised as well as two sandwiches wrapped in plastic. All thoughts of his plans for the evening went to the wayside as Trevor sat down, unwrapped the two sandwiches and began to wolf the first sandwich down, hardly chewing each bite before he swallowed.

After nearly choking on the first sandwich, Trevor took his time with the second and fished out the bottle of water provided for him. In between each bite he took a small sip of water. After finishing his meal, he changed clothes, placing his prison garb in the bucket and dressing the nice, casual dress clothes provided along with the shoes.

"Fits well enough," he said aloud to himself. He picked up the Taser and tucked it in the back of his pants before slipping on the old jacket provided. He looked as well dressed as most of the men an at the TechCom celebration. With all the excitement Trevor was confident he would be able to approach Cameron unrecognized and lure her away.

As promised, a hand drawn map with detailed directions was in the coat pocket, providing the guidance he would need to quickly make his way to TechCom Central Park. A quick read through followed by a careful study of the map and Trevor was on his way.

 **The Wastelands – TechCom City…**

The Assassin watched his two scouts from the back of the communications bunker. The forward elements of the ground force that would assault the TechCom Perimeter had been spotted several hours before. His scouts busily plotted the exact coordinates of the enemy forces on an electronic grid map. The intel would be sent to the two TechCom HKs newly modified to serve as low altitude bombers. The T-600 issued orders for the ground forces deployed in readiness to move into position and arm the Teller mines hidden in the approaches to the perimeter.

Confident his small force would decimate the attackers with air support and overwhelming firepower in the prearranged kill zones, he messaged the General and Colonel Reese that for the time being, he saw no reason for the reserve forces to be moved out of the tunnels and exposed to enemy fire.

 **Airbase S-14 Air Assault Forces En Route…**

"One hour and fifteen minutes and the first bomb run starts sir."

The Major simply nodded in acknowledgement of the message from the communications officer in the command center of the command and control HK. Fighting the nausea from the constant buffeting of the winds at low altitude, he wished the time to the start of the attack would pass quickly. At least he'd be able to get back on solid ground, even if it meant getting shot at.

"Sir, pardon me, but you don't look so well," the technician told him.

"Yeah, well, there's nothing I can do about it, so lets not talk about it okay," he mumbled in return.

Watching the indicator board, the Major tracked the bomber and airborne forces as they began their initial approach runs to TechCom City.

 **TechCom Central Park…**

Cameron looked at the expectant faces surrounding the open area Catherine had designated as the "dance floor." Weaver's workers had done an amazing job of turning the still incomplete central plaza into what would be for a single evening a place for imaginations of all those in attendance to have creative fodder. Cameron felt sad that the efforts and expectations of so many of the city's people could end in a matter of seconds before the evening ended as planned.

Weaver had insisted TechCom's prima ballerina and her husband the General, TechCom City's first couple as she had called them, dance the first dance. The DJ had graciously played one of Cameron's favorite pieces of classical music, something she could waltz too with her John.

"May I have this dance?"

"Yes, my husband," Cameron whispered in reply, allowing John to take her hand and place his on her waist. "I've been saving it for you."

And so the people of TechCom watched, enthralled as Cameron gracefully glided across the floor with John carefully leading her and allowing his beloved wife to have the spotlight. Catherine watched in delight as the handsome couple danced, John in his dress uniform and Cameron in the exquisite purple gown Ruth had fashioned for her.

"Wilhelm, that, that right there, is poetry in motion," Weaver whispered to her husband.

"Please do not expect me to move that gracefully," the anxious T-800 replied.

"Do not worry, my dear. Cameron is the only person who has that kind of grace," Weaver replied, looking at her husband. "Just enjoy yourself and try not to step on my feet. My matrix is not what it used to be."

The music ended and the waiting audience applauded John and Cameron. Embarrassed by the attention, the couple bowed and waved as other eager dancers poured on to the dance floor. Wasting no time, the DJ started the next song and the first annual TechCom community dance was in full swing.

 **Airbase S-14 Assault Forces en Route…**

"Sir, fifteen minutes until the bombers start their run."

The Major acknowledged the message and left the command center to go to the Colonel's private quarters.

He knocked once briefly and waited.

"Enter."

"Sir, fifteen minutes until the bombers start their run."

"Excellent. I will join you in the command center in ten minutes."

As he returned to the command center, the Major again wondered at the wisdom of starting another war. A war with the very enemy who had defeated Skynet California, the original A.I. and possessed the wisdom and vision to build a new, underground city for his people.

He recalled the old cliché his father had taught him so long ago.

 _Let sleeping dogs lie._

 **TechCom City…**

Standing in the corner, Trevor watched. Disgust and hate raged within his body, his mind, as he watched the citizens of TechCom enjoy themselves. Unnoticed, he slowly scanned the crowd, looking for the very special person he had waited for since his incarceration.

Scanning first one couple and then the next, Trevor spotted his ally, Rachel dancing with Brandon. He laughed at the sight of the much taller Brandon dancing with a complete lack of grace with his shorter, pretty sister. Moving his search to another area of the dance floor Trevor spotted Ruth and one of the twins dancing. He nodded his approval at the way the black gown fitted Ruth's every curve and the way she moved so gracefully as she danced.

Nearby was a watchful Colonel Reese, dressed in his dress uniform, scowling every minute or so when he cast a glance at his daughter. Feeling his anger grow, Trevor distracted himself by watching the legend herself, Sarah Connor, dance with her husband.

 _Not bad for a woman her age. If I have time, I might have to pleasure her as well._

Unable to spot Cameron, Trevor moved closer to the crowd. Spotting one of the park benches, he stepped up on the bench, allowing him to look over and down on the crowd as it swayed and moved to the music. Still searching for Cameron, Trevor spotted Hailey. Smiling as she danced, it was obvious Hailey was enjoying herself to the fullest. Trevor felt his chest tighten as he watched.

 _You'll pay for that smile Hailey Connor. You'll pay for having the time of your life with someone other than me._

Reaching behind his back, Trevor's fingers touched the Taser, lingering as he considered his options. Sudden movement, a flash of purple and Trevor spotted a radiant Cameron pulling her beloved General along behind her.

His pulse quickened at the sight of the cyborg. Smiling to nobody in particular, he spoke, "There you are Cameron. It won't be long now."

 **The Wastelands…**

Waiting patiently as only a Terminator can, the Assassin watched as his two human scouts made their way back to the forward observation bunker. The pair entered several minutes apart and the T-600 waited in silence as they removed the various pieces of camouflage from their person.

"Well?"

"They're moving up into their final positions sir. It won't be long."

Their leader nodded in acknowledgement and pointed towards the rear exit of the bunker. It was time to fall back. As the scouts donned their disguises again, the Assassin messaged TechCom headquarters.

 _Attack is eminent._

 **TechCom Central Park…**

Cameron detected the faint vibration of John's communication device and immediately frowned.

"I didn't step on your toes," John said defensively.

"No, but your communication device vibrated."

It was John's turn to frown as he carefully removed the device and read the message. Returning the device to his pocket, he took Cameron's hand again and continued to dance with her.

"Five more minutes and then we'll sound the air raid alarm," he whispered.

"I was so hoping you were wrong," Cameron told her husband. "I have really enjoyed this evening with you."

John smiled at his wife in adoration. "Don't worry. I think this is going to become a regular event for our community. Look around at our citizens."

Obeying her husband, Cameron scanned the crowd. Spotting Hailey and Ruth, Cameron took note of the content smiles on the girl's faces as they danced with the twins. Sarah was clearly enjoying herself and Derek, while not a huge fan of large public social gatherings, was clearly happy, if for no other reason that Sarah was.

"It's just not fair," Cameron whispered, moving closer to John in order to rest her cheek on his chest.

xxxx xxxx xxxx xxxx

Hailey bit her lip to stay silent as Thomas stepped on her toes for the fifth time that evening. The expression on his face told her he was sorry, that he was doing the best he could to lead and not trample her feet. Hailey smiled back to say it was okay.

Glancing at her cousin, Hailey was happy to see a smiling Ruth. The little T-1000 had finally relaxed enough to ditch her old fashioned shawl. From the looks she was getting from the young males, Ruth's dress and figure met with considerable approval.

Like her mother, Hailey hoped her father was wrong. That the evening would go on until the early hours of the morning, with music, dancing and lots of fun for everyone.

Xxxx xxxx xxxx xxxx

Keeping on optic sensor on the girls, the Old Man used the other to scan the crowd dancing as well as those watching, resting or talking on the sidelines. Having spotted Brandon and Rachel, the Old Man maintained a constant surveillance of the pair. To keep the family dog from being stepped on, the T-600 had picked up Sammy and was scratching the Italian Greyhound between his ears when the Old Man detected the vibration indicating the dog was growling.

Unable to spot what alarmed the canine, the Old Man sat Sammy down and took a good firm grasp on the leash.

"Show me," he ordered. With no hesitation the small dog began making his way between people, pulling the Old Man away from his central observation point.

 **Airbase S-14 Assault Forces…**

"Bombers have reached the starting point for their final approach. They will be over the target in ten minutes."

Glancing to his right, the Major watched the Colonel's face. The Terminator showed no sign of emotion, in fact, no sign of having even heard the message.

"Sir, if we are going to cancel the attack, now is the time," the Major blurted out.

Turning to look at his second in command, the Terminator tilted his head, looking at the Major inquisitively, as if he had never seen the human before.

"Doubting our success at this late time, Major?"

"Sir, merely pointing out the fact sir. Once we attack TechCom, we will be at war again. General Connor will fight ruthlessly and show no mercy. We are risking everything we have accomplished since gaining our freedom from Skynet."

The Colonel stared penetratingly at the Major.

"Waging war is why we exist Major. Not just me, a Terminator built to kill, but you as well. Human history is merely a record of your wars and the time between wars while your species prepared for the next conflict. To not engage TechCom is to deny the very reason you and I exist."

 **TechCom Central Park…**

Cameron handed John the microphone. The DJ had stopped the music. A glance towards John indicated the sound system was ready for him to use.

"Everybody, I am so sorry to interrupt this wonderful evening. Hasn't Miss Catherine Weaver and her people done a wonderful job?"

Applause broke out as the audience agreed with John.

"I have received word an attack is eminent. In a few seconds, the air raid alert siren will go off. This is not a drill. Remain calm and proceed to your assigned area and wait until receiving further orders."

Groans of disappointment filled the vaulted roof of the large open space. Still, the citizens did as ordered and began moving off the dance floor and towards the exits. The harsh sound of the air raid klaxon started, causing the crowd to move slightly faster. John watched as the T-600s and the M.P.s pre-positioned for crowd control began to move the civilians along quickly. From two corridors TechCom personnel began to file in and move to their defensive positions.

All through out TechCom City lights dimmed as John Henry's engineers began diverting power and shutting down non-essential systems. In Central Park the sound of a portable generator starting up could be heard as workers moved large lights into place, aiming them at the northwest corner of the festival area.

As quickly as the crowd had dispersed, the soldiers had finished moving in. A tense silence settled over the park, sadly vacant as the bright decorations reflected the remaining light. Cameron scanned the area, looking for the girls to make sure they had taken cover as ordered. There had been no question that Ruth would remain. Her fighting skills in close quarters were among the best in TechCom. Cameron and John feared for Hailey's safety but had come to the conclusion she would be a target of the attackers regardless of where she was. It would be better for Hailey to stay close and have the Old Man and Ruth look after her.

Cameron noticed Sarah emerging from a corridor, a grim expression on her face. She had changed from her black evening gown into her normal black combat fatigues. Bristling with weapons, Sarah had transitioned from the content wife enjoying an evening of dancing with her husband to the serious, deadly killer ready to command her forces in battle.

 **Airbase S-14 Assault Forces…**

"Sir, the bombers are seconds away from their target.

Reviews are always appreciated. If you liked this story, you might want to consider my other TSCC stories:

 _ **Cameron Grows Up**_

 _ **The Future Cameron**_

 _ **Cameron and the Black Bird**_

 _ **Cameron and John's Wedding**_

 _ **Who's the Boss?**_

 _ **The Storm Before the Calm**_


	33. Chapter 33

**Chapter 33**

 **Disclaimer:** Don't own TSCC

 **Airbase S-14 Command Aircraft…**

"Bombs away sir! The first bunker buster is on its way!"

His fear and anxiety did not stop the Major from smiling at the cheers of the personnel manning the Command Center of the HK.

 _Perhaps we will succeed._

He glanced at the Colonel who smiled and nodded.

Turning back to watch the view of the monitors, now clouded from the debris and dust raised from the first bunker buster striking its target, the Major pushed aside all thoughts of failure and concentrated solely on the task at hand.

 **TechCom Central Park…**

Dust fell from the vaulted ceiling of the grand hall housing Central Park. Rumbles from the first bunker buster echoed in the cities open area.

"It's started," John told Cameron. He kissed his wife as he began pulling off his dress uniform jacket.

"Be careful my John," Cameron insisted, looking at her husband with longing.

"I can take care of myself," he promised. Smiling, he added, "You can scan me all you want when the battle is over."

Cameron frowned. "I would rather be by your side. It would be safer for you and easier for me to protect you."

"We're not discussing this. I need you at your post."

Another bomb resonated through the park, bringing down more dust, dirt and grit from the vaults above, this time shaking the ground beneath the hurrying TechCom forces.

Cameron's last glimpse of John saw him pulling on his body armor as he vanished from her sight.

 **The Wastelands…**

Blinding white light broke the pitch black sky of the Wastelands as Very flares went up, lighting up the No-Man's-Land between the forces of Airbase S-14 and the TechCom Perimeter defenses. In the distance behind the perimeter, repeated explosions filled the night sky briefly with intense light followed by a fireball and then seconds of darkness before another bomb exploded, lighting up the sky again.

A cry of "here they come" could be heard from somewhere within the TechCom perimeter. Safeties had long been thumbed off and rounds chambered. Watching from the command bunker, the Assassin took note of Major Wilhelm's arrival. Nodding a greeting at his commanding officer, the Assassin reached into his pack and pulled out a box of matches striking one. Wilhelm smiled and leaned over to light the freshly cut cigar in his mouth. After several good puffs, the cigar remained lit and the two Terminators resumed watching the initial forward elements of the enemy advance into the first kill zones.

"I am confident this a diversionary attack," the Assassin informed Wilhelm. "There has been no preparation by artillery barrage or air support, though either could change once the bombardment of Central Park is complete."

"We should be able to hold then without reinforcements?"

"Yes, Major." The Assassin looked out into the Wastelands and watched as the disciplined TechCom force waited patiently. "Our troops are too well trained," the Assassin said aloud. "I'll give Brighton that. We won't be overrun by the enemy unless they reinforce."

 **TechCom Central Park…**

Moving along the wall, Cameron monitored the ever increasing damage to the granite ceiling in the far southeast corner of Central Park. The sound of swearing drew her attention to an overturned table. Moving quickly, Cameron kicked the table, shattering it to reveal the two individuals she was searching for.

"I see you just had to stay behind and cause trouble, didn't you Rachel," Cameron monotoned, her face devoid of emotion.

An enraged Rachel pressed down repeatedly on a small black device, screaming in rage as she did so.

"We disarmed all of the explosive devices you planted some time ago," Cameron informed her.

"No! No! I checked all of them myself," Rachel screamed back at Cameron.

From the corner of her eye, Cameron watched as Brandon leveled a pistol at her. Tilting her head in a bemused manner, Cameron's body recoiled as each of the bullets struck her. She glanced down at her purple gown and frowned at the holes in the beautiful, silken material.

Cameron raised her head and looked directly in the face of a terrified Brandon. "You ruined my evening gown, and worse, my John loved it!"

Quivering in terror, Brandon hurled the empty pistol at Cameron. She caught it mid-air, taking one end of the pistol in each hand and bent it in half. Tossing the ruined weapon over her shoulder, Cameron took two steps forward and shoved Brandon with both hands, sending the youth head over heels, tumbling into a pile of debris.

Turning to face Rachel, Cameron extended her hand, demanding in silence to be given the detonator.

"It's useless Rachel. Give me the device and I will not terminate you."

"You lie!" the enraged blonde snarled, her pretty face ugly with rage and hate.

"You will be arrested and given a fair trial, I promise. I will even recuse myself from the tribunal," Cameron offered.

"You expect me to trust you," Rachel growled as more dust and grit fell from the ceiling as yet another bombing roar echoed through the cavernous Central Park.

She smiled as chunks of concrete and steel fell from the southeast corner. "Well, well, Commander Connor, it looks like my allies won't need my help after all."

Another bomb detonated deep in the granite above the damaged ceiling vault. Cracks opened in the ceiling as large pieces of concrete fell with small bits of granite falling as well. Rachel backed up, laughing hysterically.

"You and your precious John are going to lose! You are going to pay for stealing John from my mother and he's going to pay for letting you!"

Rachel hurled the useless detonator at Cameron and fled. Cameron dodged the worthless device to pursue Rachel only to feel a heavy weight land on her back. Reacting instinctively, Cameron hurled her assailant over her shoulder, holding onto the assailant's wrist causing the arm to extend fully. She drove her free hand through the locked elbow of the attacker, shattering it. Stepping back to create space, Cameron was shocked to see her assailant was Brandon.

He struggled to his feet, his expression a mixture of agony and determination. With his useless arm dangling, Brandon finally gained control of his balance.

"She's messed up, but Rachel's the only sister I have," he shouted above the rumbling sounds in the roof. "I won't let you terminate her."

Lunging at Cameron with his lone good arm extended, Brandon stopped suddenly, his throat caught in the vice-like grip of Cameron's left hand.

"I liked you Brandon, in spite of who your sister is and who your mother was," Cameron told the struggling teen.

With a single firm contraction of her hand, Cameron crushed Brandon's larynx. Tossing the body aside, Cameron scanned the area for Rachel. The girl had successfully fled the immediate area but Cameron picked up signs of the family's dog.

Hurrying over to a pile of rubble, Cameron found the little dog frantically digging. With relative ease she moved the stone and concrete, revealing a Coltan steel arm. Sammy barked frantically while continuing to scratch the rubble. In less than a minute, Cameron had cleared enough rubble away to expose the entire torso of the Old Man.

"My apologies Commander. I went into standby mode when the rubble fell on me."

"You are fortunate Sammy was okay and remained. I found you when I scanned for biological life signs and picked his up."

"I must warn you," the protector informed Cameron. "Trevor has escaped. I spotted him right before the first bomb fell."

"Will you be okay?"

The Old Man shook his head displaying frustration even a human could recognize.

"My knees have been severely damaged, again Commander."

"Stay here and move only if you have to," Cameron ordered. "I will send help as soon as I can."

Cameron moved away, searching for the nearest corridor Rachel could have used to escape. Spotting one clear of rubble, she made her way into the tunnel opening.

 **The Wastelands – S-14 LZ…**

"What do you mean their Central Park has not been breached," the Colonel roared. Even the Terminators in the Command Center flinched.

"Our bunker busters were not quite strong enough to do the job," the Major said matter-of-factly.

"Then how do you expect our plan to work," the Colonel raged, his optics flashing a brilliant red through his brown eyes.

 _Oh, it's OUR plan now,_ the Major thought with disgust.

"I ordered two additional bunker busters to be loaded in one of the supply HKs. We can load them here, in the LZ, withdraw and allow the bombers to make a final run. If that fails, the attack will have to be broken off."

"Make it happen or you'll regret it," the Colonel threatened. "I want to be air borne in ten minutes."

 **TechCom Central Park…**

"The roof held General," John Henry informed John.

"For now. If I were in command, I would have a Plan B."

John turned to face John Henry. "Start clearing the rubble. We know where they want to breach. Derek, form defensive positions, I want this over in a hurry as soon as they breach the ceiling. Move all the wounded and injured to the Medical Complex."

John moved away from the area, looking for an idea location for a command post to be set up. Filled with sadness, he played his flashlight along the roof of the now darkened Park. So much damage had been done to the beautiful vaulted ceilings, ceilings that Catherine has insisted be painted like the ceilings of Gothic cathedrals of the middle ages.

A dogs barking caught his attention. Looking in the direction of the sound, he spotted Sammy running in a small circle as a frustrated Old Man tried to calm the dog down.

"Derek," he called, attracting his uncle's attention. "The Old Man has gone and gotten hurt again."

 **TechCom Tunnels…**

Trevor smiled to himself. He could hear Cameron approaching. Rachel had run past nearly six minutes ago. One glance at the terror on the blonde's face had left no doubt in Trevor's mind Cameron would be following right behind.

Steady, evenly spaced footsteps could be heard coming closer and closer.

Cameron came into view, her purple gown covered in blood from the wounds inflicted by Brandon's ill-considered gunshots. She stopped suddenly as her sensors warned her of a human presence. Trevor smiled. It was too late.

The darts of his Taser flew out, striking Cameron in her chest and bare shoulders. Within milliseconds Cameron convulsed before her safety features shut her down to avoid damage. Collapsing on the floor, the TOK-715 landed on her back, her head rolled to one side and her arms spread wide, forming a cross shape.

Trevor smiled as he stood up, unfastening his belt as he did so.

"Miss Cameron, oh, Miss Cameron, somebody ruined your beautiful dress. What a shame. You looked simply wonderful in your gown."

Kneeling down next to Cameron, Trevor first removed the Taser's darts and then forced her legs apart. Reaching up beneath her gown, his fingers found the soft fabric of Cameron's panties. He allowed himself a moment to savor the experience before roughly tearing her underwear away from her body. He carefully examined the torn fabric before stuffing it in the pocket of his pants.

Moving between Cameron's legs, Trevor began to slowly pull her gown up towards her hips, savoring the act as he uncovered the perfect skin covering her steel legs. He stopped before the hem of Cameron's gown reached the top of her thighs. Pausing so he could unfasten his pants, Trevor struggled with his zipper as he hurried. Finally, he managed to unzip his pants and lower them to his knees.

Leaning over Cameron, Trevor placed first his right hand and then his left on either side of Cameron's shoulders, allowing his lips to hover inches from Cameron's.

"And now, you will learn how a real man makes a woman feel," Trevor whispered to the sleeping beauty.

Before he could unleash is pent up lust and hate, Trevor noted a faint blue flash through Cameron's dark brown eyes. He stared into the beautiful cyborg's doe eyes, troubled by the fact they were open. From deep within the center, at first nothing more than a faint red glow, Cameron's eyes brightened and then became an angry red, painful to look at for just an instant before returning to their normal brown.

Startled, Trevor paused, examining the beautiful, flawless skin of Cameron's face. Her head suddenly tilted ever so slightly to her right, her mouth opened slightly as if Cameron was surprised.

Doubt entered Trevor's mind for a split second. Just before searing agony erupted from his groin. Pain shot up through his abdomen, causing him to double up in agony and roll off Cameron. Grasping at his groin as he screamed from the fetal position, Trevor yanked his hands back, screaming even louder from the pain.

Cameron stood over Trevor, a faint smile on her face, watching Trevor as he writhed in agony. Her gown fell down her long legs, covering them. Cameron leaned over, lowering her face to within inches of Trevor's.

"What's the matter lover boy," she whispered as Trevor fell silent. "Lose something," she laughed. Standing up Cameron raised her bloody right hand and opened it, dropping the contents on the floor inches from Trevor's eyes.

His eyes widening in shock, Trevor forced himself to look up at Cameron's face, her expression grim, as she no longer laughed.

"Nobody will ever take what is my John's," she told Trevor in a chilling voice, raising her right foot off the floor.

"Noooooooo!" Trevor screamed as Cameron slammed her heel down on the bloody tissue inches from his face, splattering specks of blood on his cheeks and forehead as she did so. Leaning back down, Cameron wiped her bloody hand on Trevor's shirt.

"Oh, wait, I think I made a mistake. You can't possibly be a lover boy, now can you?"

Cameron stood up and smiled. "I think you'll find I did enough arterial damage when I emasculated you for you to bleed out. You don't have to thank me."

As Cameron faded from view, Trevor's vision grew dim before he finally slipped into darkness for a final time.

Reviews are always appreciated. If you liked this story, you might want to consider my other TSCC stories:

 _ **Cameron Grows Up**_

 _ **The Future Cameron**_

 _ **Cameron and the Black Bird**_

 _ **Cameron and John's Wedding**_

 _ **Who's the Boss?**_

 _ **The Storm Before the Calm**_


	34. Chapter 34

**Chapter 34**

 **Disclaimer:** Don't own TSCC

 **TechCom Defensive Perimeter…**

Wilhelm watched as the infantry advanced. The lead elements had passed through the kill zones and were approaching the hidden positions of TechCom's units. Without glancing at the Assassin, Wilhelm nodded his head. The T-600 pressed the detonator for the first round of Teller mines.

The carnage was devastating, leaving broken and dying bodies as the many body of the assault force was mowed down. The TechCom sharpshooters mowed down the remaining survivors who had walked out of the kill zone.

As the second wave of attackers faltered, the Assassin set off the second round of Teller mines, set in positions behind the first line of mines, intended to trap a second wave that hesitated after witnessing the destruction of their comrades.

"What a waste," Wilhelm muttered. "Training, equipment, personnel, just thrown away like that because they are too stupid to check for anti-personnel mines.

 **TechCom Central Park…**

The final section of the southeast corner came crashing down. Granite and concrete shards flew in every direction as a cloud of dust and cement filled the air. Ropes fell through the now open breach, followed by repelling Terminators and Greys.

John pressed his communications devices transmit button and whispered, "Hold it. Hold your fire till I give the command."

The invaders quickly formed a perimeter around their breach, establishing a tiny bridgehead in the corner of the long, cavernous underground city park. Using infrared vision, the TechCom defenders all picked a target and waited patiently for the order to fire.

Several minutes passed as more and more invaders assembled, testing the patience of John's forces. After what seemed to be an endless period of waiting, the lead element of the assault force began to make its way into the center of the park.

Angered at the damage to his people's city, his home, John gave the command to fire at the same instant he set off the limited number of Teller mines positioned around the breach.

 **In the Tunnels of TechCom…**

Her hand shook as she squeezed the grip of the stolen Glock. With her chest heaving, Rachel listened as best she could over the sounds of her own heavy breathing. Minutes passed, allowing her to catch her breath. Fighting to stop the shaking of her legs, Rachel gathered herself to restart her flight from Cameron and reach the surface to join with the attackers.

Listening carefully, Rachel sensed complete and total silence, as if something were waiting just beyond the corner she had just turned moments ago. Raising her hand, Rachel aimed the Glock and silently thumbed the safety off.

Cameron stepped around the corner.

Instinct took over. Rachel fired the pistol twice, missing once and striking Cameron in the cheek with the other round, ripping open a gaping wound.

Ignoring the hideous injury, Cameron hit Rachel in the sternum, sending the Tunnel Rat flying on the rubble-strewn floor, scraping her legs and arms. Rachel scrambled to her feet and fled, putting distance between her and the relentless cyborg who followed.

Entering a tunnel darkened by power failure, Rachel ran blindly towards the light at the end of the tunnel in the far distance. Behind her, Cameron silently pursued her prey.

Unable to see the pile of construction materials blocking the lighted cross tunnel, Rachel tripped and fell. Panicked, she looked back into the dark tunnel. Hearing the sound of her relentless pursuer growing closer, Rachel began to crawl away from the tunnel junction.

Smears of blood on the floor traced the path she had taken as Rachel pushed herself along the floor, desperate to put space between her and Cameron.

Cameron appeared in the well light tunnel and looked directly at Rachel. She turned into the tunnel quickly to continue her pursuit.

"Stay away from me you metal whore!"

Cameron quickened her stride, allowing her to catch the wounded Tunnel Rat. Reaching down with both hands, Cameron grabbed Rachel under her arms and yanked the young woman upwards, holding her at eye level.

Rachel gasped in horror as Cameron pulled her closer to the exposed steel cheekbone and blue optic sensor of the cyborg's damaged face. Turning her face to the right as far as she could, Rachel blinked her eyes in confusion. Now she could only see the smooth, perfect skin of Cameron's undamaged side of her face. Her unblinking brown eye staring into Rachel's troubled soul from only inches away.

"I may be metal, but I am no whore."

With ease Cameron flung Rachel against the wall of the corridor, knocking the wind out of her. In agony and gasping for breath, Rachel tried to regain her feet in order to flee the pursuing cyborg.

"I can however, be a real bitch at times."

"You're insane!" Rachel screamed, finally scrambling to her feet. Feeling the wall behind her, the spy retreated further into the tunnel. The smoke and dust of the earlier explosions burned her eyes as the city's ventilation system finally came back on line, drawing the acrid fumes into the tunnel as it pulled the polluted air away from Central Park and the sounds of screaming wounded.

"My John says as I get older I've become more human in my behavior, my thinking. I agree. Skynet did not make us cruel." Cameron explained calmly. "You see, I'm going to enjoy drawing out your death, making it as painful as I can."

"Stay away from me," Rachel gasped, her lungs burning from the inhaled dust and smoke.

"What's the matter? Your plan not working out the way you want?"

Rachel glanced behind her, hoping to see something, anything that could offer hope. Hope for an escape route or a weapon of any kind.

"Looking for Trevor?"

"What?"

"Yes. One of your partners in crime against my John, against my family. My family's city."

"I don't know what you're talking about you crazy metal."

Cameron tilted her head as if she were confused.

"Trevor told me before he died you arranged for his escape." As the words left her lips, Cameron watched Rachel's reaction to see she was correct in her assumption.

"He lied," Rachel whimpered, still backing up along the wall, using her sense of touch and feel to find her way through the dim passageway.

"Such a rude thing to say about your dead ally. I find people tell the truth when they are looking death square in the eye."

Cameron continued her measured approach, keeping the distance between her and the prey constant.

"He told me how his dreams of taking what belongs only to my John kept him alive while he was incarcerated."

Entering an intersection in the tunnel, Rachel glanced around. The ventilation pulled the smoke and dust into the shaft disappearing to her right. The left tunnel's lights were functioning, offering a clear path to escape. Without hesitation she sprinted into the passageway to her left.

Cameron followed, patently stalking her prey.

"Always be careful who you pick as an ally."

"He wasn't my ally."

"Perhaps you are right. You may have just been a means to an end for him."

"You know you're going to get what you deserve in the end. The Colonel will kill you himself."

"I doubt that, whoever this Colonel is. But it doesn't matter in your case. You won't be alive to see my death. Oh, and Trevor was quite clear about what he intended to do to my Hailey," Cameron lied. "I hold you accountable for that Rachel. You let him escape. You put my baby's life at risk."

Rachel felt the wall behind her change. Its smooth concrete side became rough stone with sharp edges. A quick glance crushed any hope she had of escaping from Cameron through the tunnels.

"If you had taken the tunnel to your right, you had a chance," Cameron monotoned. "That service tunnel is being used for ventilation at the moment. It would have taken you to the surface."

"Screw you!" Rachel screamed in frustration.

"I don't think so. And that's another thing," Cameron said menacingly. "I really like the color purple and I love this gown. I've been looking forward to this evening for a long time. Now look at my beautiful gown! It's ruined. My purple gown is ruined thanks to your dead brother."

With no warning Cameron lunged for Rachel, catching the Tunnel Rat by surprise. She slapped Rachel with an open hand, splitting the blonde's left cheek open. Staggered by the blow, Rachel took step several steps back in an effort to regain her balance.

"I hate you!" the blonde screamed. "You took everything from my mother! The General should have been hers! I would have lived the easy life Hailey has had!"

"I took nothing from your mother. She was sent back in time by Jesse, an officer in the Resistance. Riley's mission was to break up my relationship with John."

"That's not true!"

"Jesse was responsible for what happened to your mother. In fact, Jesse murdered your mother when she failed in her mission."

"You lie!"

"Jesse tried to kill my John. In fact, she tried to kill our entire family with a bomb."

"No! It's not true!"

"Derek and I interrogated Jesse personally. She talked."

Rachel looked at Cameron's face. Blood from her gaping facial laceration had smeared along her jawline, making her appearance more terrifying. It also had the effect of making the cyborg's blank expression seem to convey the truth.

"No! My mother loved the General. She was sent to make him happy!"

"Jesse's plan failed. So she decided to kill my John. After Judgment Day she would assume leadership of the Resistance in my John's place."

"Why? Why do you hate my mother so much?"

Cameron tilted her head in surprise at the terrified blonde's question.

"How can you not know?"

"What was your reason for tormenting her? You said yourself Terminators were not meant to be cruel!"

"Riley tormented me." Cameron paused. "I do not want to exist without my John. She tried to take him from me. She made it difficult for me to protect him. We were robbed because of her."

"You lie! You lie! The Colonel told me the General loved Riley! That he loved my mother!"

Cameron took a step closer. "You heard what you wanted to hear. The Colonel lied to you and you wanted to believe him. So you did." She inched closer still towards her prey.

"He loved my mother," Rachel sobbed, not conscious of the fact Cameron had shortened the distance between them.

"My John used your mother. Not for sex. To rebel against Sarah. To push me away. He was angry, frustrated because he could not have a normal life. Riley was just a way to push back against the world."

Rachel felt her foot touch rubble on the floor. She glanced down to see pieces of stone the size of her fist. Without thinking she grabbed a rock and hurled it at Cameron's face only to watch her nemesis calmly catch the stone with one hand.

"If Riley had told John she was sorry for what she had done and gone away, in time, with John's help, I might have gotten over what she did. Perhaps I could even have found room in my heart to have forgiven her." Cameron raised her hand containing the stone and crushed it into dust.

"But she didn't. John was almost killed by Cromartie because of her. I almost died because of her. It took a long time for my John and I to heal and grow our relationship."

Cameron dropped the remains of the stone., wiping the dust on her purple gown leaving a grey and white stain.

"And now you have the gall to show up and insult me by claiming my John belonged to Riley first? That my John selected her as his mate over me?" Cameron shook her head in disgust.

"Ask yourself Rachel, why would the Colonel tell you these stories? What would he stand to gain by doing so?"

"He told me the truth," Rachel whimpered.

"He manipulated you."

"No!"

"He manipulated Brandon."

"Leave my brother out of this!"

"Would you have risked your brother's life the way you have if the Colonel had not told you these stories?"

"Stop it!"

"Just think Rachel," Cameron whispered as she took another step closer to her prey. "You and Brandon could have come to TechCom as legitimate refugees."

"You would have never let me live in peace!"

"I would have investigated you once I realized you were Riley's daughter, and make no mistake, I would have eventually uncovered the truth. But you aren't Riley. So long as you did not threaten my John or my family, I would have obeyed my husbands rules for TechCom City."

"I don't believe you!"

"Oh, I would have threatened you, but so long as you obeyed my rules and the rules of our city, I would have only monitored you. But that's not what you did is it?"

"I hate you," Rachel said in a low voice. She looked down again at her feet and saw a short piece of steel, a piece of a broken drill bit left behind by the tunnelers. She picked up the eighteen inch long piece of steel and wielded it before her like a club.

Cameron reached for Rachel to put an end to the hateful creatures miserable existence. Grabbing the Tunnel Rat by her throat, Cameron lifted Rachel off the ground and peered into the hate filled eyes of the daughter of her nemesis. As Cameron slowly began increasing the pressure on Rachel's throat, the Tunnel Rat rammed the end of the piece of steel rebar into Cameron's chest.

Within seconds Cameron was entering shutdown mode to avoid damaging her systems. With Cameron frozen in place, Rachel kicked violently as she struggled to escape the death grip around her throat. One well-placed kick against Cameron's sternum dislodged Rachel.

Knowing she had less than a minute to escape before Cameron rebooted, Rachel fled, not thinking about the direction she was going in. Hoping only to put enough distance between herself and her hunter to have a chance to think of a way to survive.

 **TechCom Central Plaza…**

Nearly deafened by the unbearable sound of explosions, gunfire and the screams of the wounded and dying, John waited patiently for the dust to settle. Somehow, the vents to the area were restarted and the dust and smoke began to disappear into the sluggish city ventilation system.

Motioning for two nearby T-800s to move forward and recon the area, it occurred to John the initial assault from the breach had not only been repelled, but nearly annihilated.

More of the dust, soot and smoke cleared and several of the portable lights were turned on and aimed at the breach in the ceiling. John shook his head in dismay. The whole the enemy had blasted in the ceiling was far too narrow to allow enough troops to enter in sufficient numbers to overwhelm a defense force lying in wait.

On the other hand, the breach was large enough to allow sufficient troops to overwhelm an unsuspecting and terrified civilian population whose protective force was unarmed and unprepared to repel the enemy.

For the 20th or 30th time that night, John was thankful his people had uncovered the plot to attack TechCom City, even if the information had been sketchy. They had been ready.

 **In the Tunnels…**

Cameron hated rebooting like this. Her HUD was flashing a series of conflicting and confused images. Once she was aware of her surroundings and ran a scan, Cameron detected the piece of steel rebar protruding from her chest. Carefully, Cameron removed the offending instrument and examined it.

Rachel.

"No more playing around with the bitch whore," Cameron said aloud to herself.

A quick examination of the tunnel allowed her to determine her location in TechCom City. Cameron considered the behavior of terrified prey and calculated the time she had been inoperative. It was a guess, but a calculated one. Cameron knew where Rachel would emerge from the city 's unfinished network of tunnels.

 **Central Corridor – Near TechCom Cafeteria…**

Hailey sat leaning against the wall. Ruth rubbed her cousins shoulders, consoling the sobbing Hailey.

"It will be all right. Our parents are tough."

"Nothing will ever be the same Ruth! TechCom City will never be safe like it was."

Ruth hugged her cousin close. Determined to protect Hailey, Ruth remained silent about her own fears. The pair had just left the overwhelmed medical complex, having escorted the badly injured twins. Both had suffered concussions and broken arms as the result of falling debris. With no room for visitors, friends or family, despite being members of the city's first family, the girls had been shooed away.

Rocking back and forth in unison, Ruth realized there was nothing she could say to Hailey, so as her cousin had done so many times for her, Ruth held Hailey and let her cry.

"Well, what do we have here? The two favored princesses look like their fairy tale world has been turned upside down!"

Standing before Ruth and Hailey was a bloody, dirty and bedraggled Rachel. With both hands she held a Glock. Stepping forward to see the girls better, Rachel smiled as she aimed.

"The attack failed," Ruth snarled, showing her combat fangs as she slowly began to move her body in front of Hailey.

"The grand plan may have come up short, but at least I will know you two are dead. Oh, and yes, Ruth, I know bullets don't hurt a T-1000. At least regular ones don't. But acid rounds will."

Rachel pulled the trigger and Ruth screamed as the bullet impacted her shoulder, knocking her back into Hailey.

From nowhere a force rammed Rachel into the ground, causing her Glock to fly from her hand.

Rachel looked up to see a bloody Cameron standing over her. The purple gown that had been so beautiful just an hour earlier was torn and covered in blood. Cameron's hair was wild, strands pointing everywhere. Her right eye's biological material was torn away, revealing a wild, angry red optic shinning brightly over the horrible wound exposing her Coltan steel cheekbone.

"Ruth's alright Mom, it was just a steel jacketed round," Hailey exclaimed after examining Ruth.

Focused on the quivering Rachel, Cameron's face went blank.

"No mercy," Cameron whispered.

"Please," Rachel pleaded. "I don't want to go."

With a sudden lunge, Cameron jumped at Rachel's body lying prone on the ground. Bringing her feet together, Cameron drove her feet into Rachel's chest. The impact caused Cameron to stumble for just a moment.

Recovering her balance, Cameron stopped and looked down at Rachel, her head tilted.

Slowly and carefully, Cameron spoke, "time for you to die, bitch."

Rachel quivered, sensing her end was near.

"I don't want to go, please!"

Before the Tunnel Rat could move, Cameron lunged and again took Rachel by her throat. Lifting Rachel up and dangling her in the air, Cameron looked at the terrified girl carefully.

With her right hand, Cameron punched Rachel in her cheek, splitting open the flesh. Cameron inserted her index finger into the wound and with her thumb and forefinger, grasped the flesh and pulled, ripping away Rachel's skin.

"I thought so," Cameron snarled.

Before Rachel could react, Cameron grabbed the girl's blonde hair and ripped her scalp back, sending the girl into a frenzy. Cameron rammed Rachel onto the ground and pinned her. Reaching under her skirt, Cameron removed one of her knives and finished scalping Rachel.

Leaving the blood covered Coltan skull bare as Cameron opened the hatch and removed the flailing girl's chip.

"You're going to go anyhow."

Reviews are always appreciated. If you liked this story, you might want to consider my other TSCC stories:

 _ **Cameron Grows Up**_

 _ **The Future Cameron**_

 _ **Cameron and the Black Bird**_

 _ **Cameron and John's Wedding**_

 _ **Who's the Boss?**_

 _ **The Storm Before the Calm**_


	35. Chapter 35

**Chapter 35**

 **Disclaimer:** Don't own TSCC

 **TechCom Medical Complex…**

Weary from stress and the exhausting events of the past twenty-four hours, John made his way slowly to the room Savannah had set aside for Cameron. With the airborne forces from Airbase S-14 either slaughtered or captured, the spoiling forces who attacked the TechCom perimeter, what remained of them, had surrendered.

John Henry's engineers were already planning to seal up Central Park and reinforce the vaulted ceiling, making another similar attack even less likely to succeed. The leadership council had survived, the Old Man had been measured for new knees, Ruth was at home with Derek and Sarah and Hailey was asleep in Savannah's office with the family dog.

He now had to face his biggest concern.

Cameron.

Knocking gently on the door, John opened it slowly, surprised by what lay inside. A bloody and bedraggled Cameron sat in a chair next to a hospital bed containing the still body of Rachel. The beep of a heart/lung bypass machine was the only sound in the room.

Carrying a small surgical pack, John walked around the bed and pulled up a chair next to Cameron's. Sitting down he watched his wife. Cameron was watching the bloody body that had been, or perhaps still was, Rachel. His wife did not move or even blink.

Pulling a small table over in front of him, John sat the sealed surgical pack on the table's smooth surface. He stood and went to the washbasin and washed his hands and donned surgical gloves. Cameron still did not acknowledge his presence when he sat back down.

John opened the surgical pack and laid out the tools. Carefully he cut the shoulders of his wife's once beautiful gown and let it fall to Cameron's lap. Gently he started the process of cleaning and suturing the horrible wound on her face. John decided to let Cameron shower and clean her hair before putting on an eye patch. Few things brought out what little vanity Cameron had. Having one of her optics exposed until her biological covering could regrow was guaranteed to do so.

Working his way down Cameron's torso, John removed all of the bullets from her gunshot wounds, cleaning them despite her insistence it was not necessary carefully suturing each wound. Finally, John got on his knees to examine the wound in Cameron's chest from the length of rebar Rachel had used to short circuit Cameron. This wound took the longest to clean, trim and repair.

When he was finished, John bandaged each wound that required bandages. Cameron was still intently watching Rachel. John knew Cameron was conscious from the occasional clinching of her left fist.

He stood and removed the surgical gloves and cleaned up. In the room's storage locker John found a set of surgical scrubs. They were too large for Cameron but would allow her to return to their bunker with modesty.

"Cameron, I'm exhausted. I really need to get some sleep. Hailey is asleep in Savannah's office and we need to get her home. Everyone in the family is okay."

Still Cameron did not move or acknowledge John though he knew she was aware of his presence and had heard him.

"If you want to stay tonight, that's okay. I've put a set of surgical scrubs in the chair next to you."

John kissed Cameron on the top of her head and stood to leave. As his hand touched the doorknob Cameron spoke.

"She's a hybrid. Advanced design. Far better than any other hybrid Skynet produced during the war here in California."

Sensing Cameron wanted to talk, John turned to face her and leaned against the wall.

"She really is Riley's daughter. I examined her files in the chip."

Fighting exhaustion, John sat back down next to Cameron and took her right hand in his left and gently squeezed it. Cameron's gaze remained focused on the bloody face of Rachel.

"Skynet caught Rachel. He knew of the attempt to use Riley. He created a TOK-715 using her as the template. But Skynet changed his mind. He changed his mind because of me."

As Cameron sat in silence for several minutes, John realized his wife was sorting through difficult data, emotional and personal, as she dealt with what she had discovered during the attack.

"He killed Rachel, removed her head and implanted the head from the TOK-715. Unlike me, Rachel never had a chance to develop her free will. The implanted memories were perfect. She has no HUD, nothing to indicate she is part machine. I couldn't sense she was a hybrid because Skynet installed a small implant that shielded against scans. If her skull were x-rayed, it would appear to be a perfectly normal human skull. We tested it when I brought Rachel here."

Cameron slowly turned her head to face John. "Rachel the machine was more advanced than me, but Skynet made sure she never had a chance to become an individual. Those memories he implanted are so real, even I believed them at first when I viewed the data. It was easy for the Terminator, that Colonel she spoke of, to use her as a spy, a weapon against our family."

"How did you know?"

"She didn't want to go away."

Cameron leaned over against John and rested her head on his shoulder. "She didn't want to go away, just like I didn't when Sarah had me pinned between the trucks."

"Let's go home," John softly ordered. "She's on life support so nothing will happen to Rachel. I will have guards posted so nothing happens to her. You need rest and I want my wife with me at home."

John stood and gently pulled Cameron's hand. She stood up slowly and allowed the remains of her gown to fall to the floor around her feet. John helped Cameron slip into the surgical scrubs. Taking her hand again, he tried to lead her towards the door.

"No."

Opening a small drawer in the bedside table next to the hospital bed, Cameron reached in and removed a small object.

Rachel's chip.

"Everything she is now is here."

John looked expectantly at Cameron, uncertain what she was trying to tell him.

"I don't know what to do," she whispered, tears starting to form in her one remaining good eye.

Taking her in his arms and holding her close, John stroked his wife's hair, trying to comfort her.

"You don't have to do anything or decide anything right now. We can give the chip to Savannah for safe keeping until we know what to do. Is that okay for now?"

Cameron nodded and extended her hand, offering John Rachel's chip. He took it carefully and smiled at her. Once again, he offered his hand and tried to lead Cameron out of the room. This time she followed.

 **Connor Family Bunker…**

Unable to stand the pressure any longer, John stumbled out of bed and clumsily made his way to the bathroom to relieve himself. He'd left orders not to be disturbed for any reason except another attack on TechCom City. Four hours remained of the time he had set for his family not to be disturbed.

He checked Hailey and found she had gotten up, let Sammy out and had changed into pajamas. Sammy was lying on the family's couch in the family area, staring at the door to the bunker.

John scratched the small dog behind his ears. "The Old Man will be back soon and in his alcove, just like he is most nights."

Seeming to understand John and the reassuring words, Sammy leapt off the couch and returned to Hailey's room. John had no doubt the little dog had already burrowed under the covers and was curled up in a ball next to Hailey.

Stretching a final time, John returned to his room and slipped back in bed. Cameron quickly moved close and nuzzled against John.

"I held her entire person in my hand John. I held everything Rachel had become, right in my hand."

"You mean her chip?"

"Yes, her chip. I realized that is all I am. Data and code on a chip. I couldn't' bring myself to crush the chip, even knowing that little bitch whore is Riley's daughter and nothing but trouble. We took her in and she was a spy and a traitor. A tribunal will find her guilty and sentence her to death."

"Nobody would have questioned your actions if you had destroyed the chip. You were the only one who even realized what she was. If what you say is true, Rachel and Brandon didn't even know."

"But, John, that's all we are. Just a chip with code and data files."

"No! Stop that!" John firmly took Cameron's chin and lifted her eyes to face him. "I will not have you even think that, process it, whatever. You are so much more than that, just like a human is more than just a collection of chemicals and neuron pathways."

"But, John…"

"No. Your holding Rachel's chip in your hand is no different from a surgeon holding my brain. Well, it is because my brain is a lot more fragile than a Terminator's chip, but you get my point – so don't correct my example."

"Are you sure? I am more than just a chip?"

John turned Cameron onto her left side and pressed his chest against her back. He wrapped his right arm around her and hugged her close to him.

"I cannot do this without you," he whispered in her ear. "What's more, I don't want to do this without you."

A sense of comfort and relief passed through Cameron's CPU and emotion simulator/generator, sending data throughout her body. John actually felt Cameron's body relax within seconds of speaking.

"I love you. You love me," Cameron whispered.

"You love me and I love you," John whispered in response.

Reaching over John's right arm with her own right arm, Cameron laced her fingers into John's and squeezed gently. He felt her nestle against him and in less than a minute John felt Cameron's body jerk slightly, indicating she had entered Terminator sleep.

 **TechCom Medical Center…**

Walking as fast as he could without running, John hurried through the medical complex. He smiled and nodded at the staff and patients as he wove in and out of people as he hurried. Arriving at the room where Rachel's body was, John burst into the room.

As he expected, Cameron was standing next to the bed, staring down at the damaged body. Standing with her was Savannah and Dr. Johnson.

Cameron looked up and gazed at John.

"The real Rachel has been dead for over three years. Dr. Johnson says her body will die unless we put the chip back in."

Unable to respond to Cameron's blunt statement, John simply remained silent.

Cameron extended her hand to Savannah who placed the chip in it.

"I will not have the spawn of Riley, whatever form it takes, living in our midst. Rachel, this Rachel, has proven herself to be a danger to you John, our family and our people."

Cameron crushed the chip and threw it on the floor. She added a stomp with the heel of her boot and ground the remains of her chip. Without another word, Cameron turned and walked past John through the door to the room.

Dr. Johnson switched off the sound on the machines and turned them off, depriving the body of the needed oxygen and circulation of blood. John knew within minutes the body would be dead as well.

Dr. Johnson stepped close to John and placed his hand on John's shoulder.

"General, don't be surprised if Cameron's Riley issues improve. She may have just exercised part of her demon."

"What?" a confused John replied.

"She might not react as violently to blondes now is all I am saying," Dr. Johnson replied. "Cameron had to face up to some unpleasant realities. Destroying that chip was also, in effect, taking her revenge on Riley. She took from Riley something precious, her daughter, even if that daughter was just files on a chip."

Reviews are always appreciated. If you liked this story, you might want to consider my other TSCC stories:

 _ **Cameron Grows Up**_

 _ **The Future Cameron**_

 _ **Cameron and the Black Bird**_

 _ **Cameron and John's Wedding**_

 _ **Who's the Boss?**_

 _ **The Storm Before the Calm**_


	36. Chapter 36

**Chapter 36**

 **Disclaimer:** Don't own TSCC

 **TechCom Cafeteria…**

Shuffling along, a tired John looked for his mother. Spotting Sarah picking at a salad as she read from her tablet, he carried his tray over and sat down.

"Hey."

"Hey, yourself," Sarah replied without looking up.

John ate in silence for a while hoping Sarah would look up from whatever held her attention.

"Do you want to talk," Sarah finally asked, looking up.

"Yeah, actually, I would," he replied.

"Cameron's acting different."

"Yeah, how did you know?"

"She is my daughter-in-law. I see her every day. We do talk."

John made a face at Sarah in response.

"Okay, fine, what is it that's worrying you?"

"She's just different, that's all. I can't explain it."

"Does Tin Miss still check Hailey before bed?"

"Yes."

"Does she still engage in all or most of her compulsive behaviors?"

"Uh, I think so."

"Has she tried to terminate anyone for no reason?"

"No! Nothing like that!"

"Does she still scan you every night?"

"Yes."

"Then please, John, tell me what is bothering you?"

Frustrated, John sat in silence, looking at his mother. "I can't explain it, but you noticed it too."

"John, the past three weeks have been hectic and stressful for everyone. She's not getting any younger and machines do wear out. That might be all it is."

John nodded, hoping Sarah was right.

 **Connor Family Bunker…**

John waved good night to Derek as the two men parted after a long day. A quick glance indicated the Old Man was in his alcove, reading as usual. Both families would be safe that night.

Easing into the bunker, John walked with his habitual stealth to check on Hailey. She was sound asleep in the bottom tier of her new bunk bed. Asleep in the top bunk was Ruth. The sound of Sammy's tail striking the blanket as he wagged it was the only sound in the room. Content the girls were safe and sound John made his way to his own room.

To his surprise, Cameron was in bed and asleep. Normally she came to bed with John until he fell asleep and then as was her habit of years, patrolled until she needed the two or three hour maintenance period she referred to as Terminator Sleep as mandated by Savannah and Dr. Johnson.

Silently, John slipped out of his clothes. Before he got in bed, he looked closely at his wife's face. Gone was the eye patch covering her damaged eye. While still not completely healed, all of her biological covering had regenerated. The gaping wound had closed and was pinkish in color. Her other wounds had all healed leaving little trace Cameron had ever been injured.

Not wanting to disturb his wife, John slipped silently into the bed and braced himself for her to roll over and drape herself over him. As had happened for the past few nights, Cameron failed to do so. Instead, it seemed she instinctively moved closer to John and nestled close to him. John was almost certain he heard a sigh of contentment come from Cameron.

John turned on his side and pulled Cameron closer to him, leaving his arm around her waist. Without seeming to wake Cameron took his hand in hers and intertwined her fingers in John's. Long used to a wife who made no sounds while in maintenance mode, John decided he liked the new, slightly more relaxed version of Cameron. Within minutes, he was asleep.

 **Two Weeks Later in the Wastelands…**

Deciding he would never get used to the cold and dark of the Wastelands, John pulled his coat tighter around his throat as he tried to warm himself. Scanning the cemetery hidden in the small valley just northwest of TechCom City he spotted Cameron.

She had been visiting the cemetery frequently since the failed attack on the city. While she had made a visit or two in the past, her current behavior, combined with other recent changes concerned John. There were no close family or friends buried in the new cemetery. The only person whose grave might make Cameron feel compelled to visit so often was Sarah. John had few doubts Cameron would not survive long after he passed away.

Since his mom was fine, Hailey was okay and Cameron and Derek had engaged in one of their petty arguments just the other night, complete with a staring contest Derek lost, John was concerned. This new compulsion was troubling.

Approaching from behind, John could hear Cameron talking out loud. Pausing to scan the area again with his night vision glasses, John failed to locate whom his wife was talking to. Cameron never talked to herself, making this new behavior even more troubling. Carefully making his way closer, John strained to hear Cameron's one-sided conversation.

"I won. It's that simple! Your spawn were not up to the task, just like you weren't. My John is still mine! You bitch whore! He's safe!"

Flinching in pain at his wife's words, John felt overcome with guilt. A machine, no matter how humanlike Cameron had become, she was still a machine, felt threatened by a long dead human rival. How much pain he had caused his closest friend was unimaginable, all for a rebellious dalliance that had never meant anything to him.

John moved close enough to touch his wife before speaking, and then only not to startle her.

"Cameron."

"What John?"

"I've been listening."

"I know. I heard you over seven minutes ago."

"Why are you doing this? They're dead. They can't hurt you, or us, or our family."

Cameron turned to look at her husband, the look of hurt on her face startling John.

"Because I have to. Riley's dead and she still tried to take you from me. This time, she tried to take even more."

With a heavy heart, John took Cameron in his arms. John felt Cameron wrap her arms around him as she buried her face in his chest. He could feel her body shaking, almost as if she was sobbing uncontrollably. Having learned the hard way, John remained silent and let Cameron get whatever this was out of her system. He could feel the fingers of her left hand working furiously as her glitch made its appearance.

How much time passed before Cameron regained control, John could not guess though he knew Cameron could tell him to the second if he asked. He decided not to.

She let go of John and to his surprise, wiped actual tears from her face. Her eyes were puffy from crying and she still looked distraught.

"This is my fault isn't it," John asked somberly.

"Yes, in part," Cameron replied. "Mostly all your fault, but some of it is mine. Some of it is Riley's."

"You know she didn't mean anything to me."

"I do now, but I didn't then. I didn't understand, couldn't understand, what you saw in her. I felt so threatened. I could not protect you properly. I was just beginning to realize I had an emotional attraction, an emotional bond with you. I was overwhelmed by everything, anything involving emotions. I blamed myself and I blamed that bitch whore.

But I can understand now you were to blame as well. You should never have made me feel like I did. You should have pushed Riley away when I asked the first time I made my feelings known."

"Cameron, I was just sixteen."

"I know, that's why I chose to forgive you. You were only slightly better equipped to deal with the emotions we were dealing with than I was."

John started in surprise, annoyed. "Forgive me?"

"Yes, forgive you."

"I seem to recall you were a royal pain during this time period."

"I told you, I was to blame too."

Cameron glared at John, making him realize she was not going to back down on this.

"Okay, I was to blame too. It probably doesn't matter how much either of us was to blame. Riley's dead and that was a long time ago. Besides, you won. I chose you. I was always going to choose you."

"So you admit there was no reason to have made me suffer like you did."

John scowled at Cameron, not liking the direction of the discussion.

"I'm not sure how, or if, I want to answer that. That was a confusing time for both of us. If Riley showed up today, it's a no-brainer. She doesn't even get the time of day from me. You know Riley was really nothing more than a way to rebel against mom's control and to get a little space from you."

"Yeah, well you hurt me," Cameron petulantly replied. "I have had issues ever since then. I should never have felt as insecure as I did in our relationship."

Annoyed, John stepped away from Cameron.

"I did everything I could to reassure you, to make you feel like you had no reason to feel that way, so don't put this all on me."

Cameron squeezed her lips together, pouting, clearly annoyed with John.

"It's in the past. I get it, John. I have my husband, my daughter and my family. I beat the bitch whore and I beat her children. I terminated the threat. I got my revenge on her!"

Cameron's visage changed from one of anger to sadness, making John realize this wasn't really about him.

"So why do I feel so bad now that I have my revenge! I have you! I have my family and I feel so empty now that Riley can NEVER threaten me again! I terminated her devil spawn myself. I proved I was the alpha female yet again. Now there is no data for my CPU you process, there is just a blank file! Why do I feel this way John?"

"Because revenge is not what it seems. Rachel deserved what happened to her. Not the merging of memories and being turned into a cyborg, certainly not that. But she certainly was self-aware. Rachel had choices. She had the ability to determine which files were uploaded memories and which were real. She chose to hate you, to do the will of the Colonel.

Oddly, if anyone could have understood what had been done to her, it was you Cameron. Rachel might have been Riley's daughter when she was born, but Skynet just used her as a template like he did Allison for you. You made good choices and overcame your evil father. Rachel did not. Her actions placed everyone in TechCom at risk. Her termination was just.

Brandon, " John paused before continuing, "Brandon loved his sister and in the end, it was misplaced. He could have had a future here. Who knows Cameron, he might have become part of our family if he had made different choices. But he chose Rachel, he hurt Ruth and he tried to kill you. The sad part is he made those choices out of misguided loyalty, perhaps love, for his sister."

"They deserved to be terminated. So why do their terminations bother me? I have never felt this way before," Cameron asked, the confusion plainly evident in her voice.

"Because, terminating Riley's children seemed to be a victory over Riley. It wasn't. She never raised those two children. She just gave birth to them and then abandoned them to get something better for herself. It was easy for Riley to justify what she did by telling herself it was best for the children. Heck, it might even have been true at the time she agreed to participate in Jesse's plan."

John stood in silence and watched his wife glare at the two small grave markers set flat in the ground over the graves. Finally, Cameron reached for his hand, indicating she was ready to leave.

As they walked back to the entrance to the tunnel that would take them safely back to the city, Cameron tugged on John's hand to get his attention.

"Are you still my John?"

Surprised by her question, John looked at his wife to see her standing, looking up at him with a mixture of hope and fear.

Embracing Cameron he held her tight before answering. "I am, and always will be, your John."

 **One Week Later – Connor Family Bunker…**

Tired from another long day, John entered the bunker to find the lights off in the living area. He could hear the sounds of the girls laughing in Hailey's room indicating they would be sleeping there tonight. Light coming from under the door to the master bedroom told him Cameron had arrived home before him.

John stood outside Hailey's door and listened briefly to the girls talking about the twins and the movie to be shown in the Central Park this weekend. He'd seen it dozens of times on cable tv but Cameron would be dragging him along to the event. She loved old movies and never missed a chance to make him sit through one with her.

A quick trip to the family facilities to relieve himself and hang up his jacket and John was ready to go to bed and get some much needed rest. He noticed the light was off now before he entered the room, indicating Cameron had decided to sleep first and patrol later.

Changing out of his clothes, John slipped into bed next to his wife. Having broken the habit, for the most part, of draping herself over John's left side, Cameron had taken to spending her maintenance time period on her left side, facing their bedroom door, lying as close to John as possible.

Moving close to Cameron, John made himself comfortable, confident he'd be asleep in minutes.

"John," Cameron spoke softly, "hold me."

Reaching over her, John pulled his wife close and shifted again to get comfortable. He smiled as he whispered to Cameron, "I love you. You love me."

He easily visualized the pleased look on Cameron's face before she replied.

"I love you. You love me."

Cameron remained alert until John began snoring softly. She conducted a quick scan, a habit she no intention of ever breaking and nestled closer to her husband, a broad smile on her face.

"My John, Riley. My John. He chose me and now you can never threaten me again, I've seen to that."

Still smiling as she entered maintenance mode for her nightly Terminator Sleep, Cameron was at peace with her existence, confident at last John was hers.

Reviews are always appreciated. If you liked this story, you might want to consider my other TSCC stories:

 _ **Cameron Grows Up**_

 _ **The Future Cameron**_

 _ **Cameron versus the Queen**_

 _ **Cameron and the Black Bird**_

 _ **Cameron and John's Wedding**_

 _ **Who's the Boss?**_

 _ **The Storm Before the Calm**_


End file.
